Remnants of Life: A Dead Man's Chronicles
by badsy
Summary: Things were not supposed to go this way. Cheated of his destiny by unseen influences and killed by his best friend, Naruto is offered a chance to return to the world, but not as he was. The question remains: Is it worth it?
1. Chapter 1

_**Chapter 1: The End of Parts Known**_

_I can't believe it ends like this._

"No..." Naruto's mouth was spewing the word with a combination of surprise, disbelief and blood...lots of it. The copper taste of blood flooded his mouth and drowned his taste buds.

The pain on the other hand was something entirely different, it was not burning hot or sharp like Naruto expected but very cold, like being dipped in an ice-bath which was far worse. As Naruto's blurred vision regained some function, he noticed the flicker of light emanating at the centre of his chest, just next the heart. The light was comprised of the crackling blue electricity, the classic symptom of using the_ Chidori_, an awe inspiring move used by only two people that Naruto was aware of, Kakashi-sensei and...Uchiha Sasuke.

_Chidori is such a powerful technique_. Naruto's mind was starting to wander off, wanting to leave this horrible situation and drift somewhere else far away from all this...unpleasantness. The crackling of the _Chidori_ slowly faded away, revealing a human arm. The arm was too small to be an adults, the hand was beyond Naruto's vision as it was lodged in his chest, he could feel the rushing pulse of his attackers fingers radiating throughout his body. Naruto traced the arm, to gaze into the eyes of Uchiha Sasuke, his best friend, his comrade in arms, a traitor of Konoha...and his murderer.

0o0o0o

"Funny... never expected to see this much emotion...Sasuke." Naruto gazed into the face of someone he thought would be rather stoic in this situation.

_Wonders never cease. A weeping Sasuke._ Sasuke's face was impassive, indicative of a person more in shock than nonchalant, giving way to a rather horrible display of tears, which was distinguishable from the small yet incalculable droplets of rain that drenched both of them. So thick and viscous were the tears that Naruto could swear that they have not been used in a very long time, which was true.

Naruto felt cold rushing water start to swarm up to his ankles, he glanced down to see the river of the Valley of the End beneath them.

_That's right, I remember that we leaped into the air with our final attacks, his Chidori and my Rasengan, Sasuke looked...terrifying._ Naruto's memory started to fill in the blanks of the final moments of their 'battle'. _I lunged forward, I could feel the Kyuubi giving me strength, I felt the rasengan impact with Sasuke's Chidori...and it was... deflected?_

The memory of the _Rasengen_ charging straight for the _Chidori_ was engrained only for the _Rasengan_ to spin off Sasuke's technique and wind up glancing Sasuke's forehead protector. The _Chidori_, losing none of its potency hit home...directly into Naruto's chest.

"I'm sorry, Naruto." Naruto glanced up at his killer, his tears starting to subside, though his voice was shaky at best, totally racked with guilt was more accurate. Sasuke, removed the hand from his victims chest with a sicking wrench. Naruto felt a sudden jolt downwards and out of reflex grabbed Sasuke by the shoulders, he did not seem to react; he knew his opponent was finished. Naruto glanced down and noticed that he had sunk to his shins.

_I am losing control of my chakra...I am going to be swept away by the tide...no, it can't end like this._

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no." Naruto tightened his grip on Sasuke's clothes, he stared up into his eyes. "Please...Sasuke don't let me go like...this..."

Naruto noticed a change in his eyes, apart from the cold look he received he noticed that Sasuke's eyes physically changed, they altered themselves... the appearance of three intersecting ellipses. Unlike Sasuke's original Sharingan, which had a black design and red background, these new eyes had a red design and a black background.

"I'm sorry Naruto..." Sasuke's voice was still shaky but he seemed more determined and confident in what he done. "I am so sorry...but you have to go now." Sasuke's hands wrapped themselves around Naruto's, attempting to dislodge his grip.

_Uh oh..._Naruto tightened his grip even more, so much that he could feel his nails cutting into his palms. _Kyuubi! Oh god Kyuubi, if you're there please help me!_

Naruto's plea to some would argue his worst enemy, went unanswered. _KYUUBI? Where are you? If I die so do you remember?...Kyuubi?_

...Nothing, it was as if the Kyuubi was not even there anymore.

"Oh god." Naruto felt his own tears stream down his face, Naruto was engulfed to the knees.

"Let go, Naruto." Naruto glanced back up, Sasuke was still staring at him with a sense of pity. "I did not want it to turn out this way. You have given me a great gift, for that I am thankful...but now you have to go."

_Geez Sasuke, at least dump me on the shore, don't leave me to be swept away...please_.

Naruto tried to speak; to cry out in objection, but all that came out was a gurgle. Naruto's terror was starting to let blood flow into his mouth and lungs; his voice has had it. The pain in his chest made Naruto want to throw up; he could feel his gag reflexing going into overdrive.

"SASUKE! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" Naruto tried to turn his head to the source of the outburst but he could not even turn his head, he felt so weak. The voice sounded so familiar, Sasuke on the other hand tilted his head to see, and his eyes widened in horror.

"No time Naruto...goodbye." With strength that Naruto could not hope to match his grip was broken; in less than a second the water engulfed him and was swept away at rapid speed.

_You son of a bitch!_ Naruto cried out however water entered his lungs and suppressed whatever outrage Naruto hoped to voice._ No! No! NO! GOD HELP ME! HELP ME, GOD! Someone! Anyone! I DON'T WANT TO DIE!_

Naruto tried to kick up a struggle, to get to the surface, but it was to no avail, he sunk deeper into the rapidly moving river, he could not guess how far he travelled but he knew it was enough that the chances of him being found were next to none. It was only then that he noticed his blood mixing with the river, surrounding him in bright red as he was dragged off to parts unknown. A strange sense of calm seemed to wash over him, whether it was acceptance or death laying final claim over him, he did not know but it was a relief if nothing else.

_So this is it...no more me. Damn...I would have loved to have gotten that date with Sakura..._ Naruto reflected on the pink haired girl of his team, a cute girl with green eyes and an amazing smile. _Sakura...I am so sorry I can't fulfill my promise to you. I hope you can forgive me...I tried._ His mind was going blank, but it was more a blessing than a curse as he felt himself slip away into parts unknown.

_It's funny...it doesn't...hurt...anymore..._

0000000000000

The rain continued relentlessly, all animals in the nearby forest continued to seek cover wherever it was; underground, under leaves or in trees. There were only two things that were still moving under the oppressive rain; a 27 year old jounin, with his Konoha forehead protector covering up his left eye and a mask concealing the lower half of his face, and a small brown haired pug with blue clothing.

"Something's wrong...Pakkun are you sure we are almost there?" the jounin grew tense as he was overcome by an ominous feeling; like something bad happened.

"Kakashi, I am telling you, we are just about to break through the forest." The small dog replied, Pakkun normally did not like being questioned, and Kakashi was not the type to question. However, Kakashi had been getting more and more anxious as they journeyed to catch up with the rogue genin Sasuke and his purser Naruto.

_Come on, come on._ Kakashi's patience was all but spent. _Something is off, I can feel it._ The trees abruptly cleared to reveal the huge and well known Valley of the End. The imposing statues of Uchiha Madra and Senju Hashirama, the First Hokage, guarding the very beginning of the stream flowing between them.

"Finally."

"They're down there...oh no." Pakkun's crestfallen voice rattled Kakashi, he looked at the base of the Valley, only to see small pools of blood near the river.

_Not again..._

At the centre of the valley stood to figures, one blue, one orange. The blue one was currently standing over the orange one. The orange one seemed to be dying. Pools of red seeped from the orange tinting the water beneath it. Kakashi could not even recall himself yelling.

"SASUKE! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?"Kakashi did not even think, he jumped down and ran over to the scene of the battle, bits of chipped stone scattered and the obvious trace of blood could only spur his imagination the type of battle that was held. Sasuke wrenched himself free from the dying boy in orange and fled the scene as quickly as he could. Naruto without any support immediately sunk into the river, being carried away with great speed.

"Kakashi-san! Who do you want to go after?" Pakkun cried out but he need not have guessed, the silver haired jounin immediately ran after his dying student trapped in the current.

_Not again..._

"NARUTO! ANSWER ME!" Kakashi sprang into action, he ran down the river with all the speed he could muster, so much so that Pakkun had difficulty picking up.

"Whoa! Wait, Kakashi!"Pakkun called out.

Kakashi saw a sliver of orange under the flowing river, and with every muscle in his body, leaped into the water to grab. He felt his hand wrap around something, and the fragment of orange quickly turned into a humanoid form, it was a start.

"Gotcha." Unfortunately, what he grabbed had other ideas, his grip was strong but what he held onto was weak, for he heard the terrifying rip of cloth and the figure quickly slid back into current.

_Not again..._

"No...No! Naruto wait!" Kakashi scrambled as quickly as he could through river, his fist still holding the only link to the dying boy. He heard the panting of a dog behind him while he continued his pursuit.

"Kakashi! The scent has gone cold I won't be able to find Naurto!" Pakkun called out.

"Don't care! Naruto! Answer me!" Kakashi peered into the watery depths trying to get a glimpse of anything that was remotely distinct to a big orange jumpsuit.

"What about Sasuke? His scent leads to the bank and into the forest on the other side." Pakkun managed to catch up though he was heavily winded.

"We'll catch him later! We need to find Naruto, he could still be saved if we got to him in time. We-"

"Kakashi, we both know he cannot be saved. Not from _Chidori_ at point blank." Pakkun tried to get through to his summoner but it was no use, he ran down the stream even faster than before. In a matter of minutes Kakashi has accelerated beyond Pakkun's line of sight.

0o0o0o

Pakkun gave up counting how far he had followed the river once he got passed the ten kilometre mark and that was a little under an hour ago; the sun was actually beginning to set. Pakkun could still smell Kakashi; his scent halted a few hundred meters away.

_Did he find Naruto?_ Pakkun doubted that was the reason but still it could not hurt to be optimistic, moments like these...losing a student, you would take any shred of hope you can get.

As he saw the outline of Kakashi appear on the horizon, he knew the reason why he stopped, and with that the last shred of hope was annihilated. The waterfall drop was easily over half a kilometre; the chances of finding anything even remotely resembling a human were gone. Kakashi was sitting on the edge of the drop, his legs dangling over the side of the waterfall, he appeared to be cradling something.

"Kakashi...look if you want to continue searching for Naruto, that is understandable but we can't do it now. The sun is going to set and then it will just be a waste of time."

"No point. Naruto would hold onto this until his dying breath." Kakashi's voice was barely a whisper, drowned out by the sound of rushing water.

"What do you mean?" Kakashi unfolded his arms to reveal what he treasured.

"Where did you get that?"

"It is what I grabbed, the one shot at saving him and it failed him, hard to believe it was even there. Naruto..." It was the Crystal Gem necklace, the First Hokage's Necklace despite its magnificent gleam in the fading light it carried the smell of blood. The blood was Naruto's but had a strong smell to it; arterial blood which is blood carried away from the heart to other parts of the body.

_Chidori strike to the heart releasing arterial blood...no one could survive that, not even Naruto._

"Guess that rumour of it being bad luck...was true." Pakkun regretted saying it the moment it slipped out of his jowls; the legend of the cursed necklace was well known to all, especially to the Fifth Hokage. The First Hokage's green necklace gleamed in the dimming light. Pakkun's ears drooped a little. Kakashi's masked face was impassive, though the sadness welling within him was overwhelming.

"Sasuke?" Kakashi muttered, he knew the answer; he just needed Pakkun to say it.

"In this rain his scent is long gone by now. Kakashi...we have to head back." Pakkun was never good at trying to comfort people, he was not going to try now, the most he could do was get Kakashi back on his feet and moving.

"Just a few minutes. Please." Kakashi remained still as a statue. Pakkun nodded and slowly headed back to the shore, realizing that his broken summoner needed to make peace with the events that unfolded.

Alone on the waterfall, Kakashi stared at the necklace hoping the dammed thing would explain why it would not hold for a few more seconds; that was all he needed. But it didn't. As he wrapped his hands around one of Naruto's most precious achievements he made a silent prayer.

_On the day of my Judgement and I stand before thee, Naruto; I hope you can forgive me. Rin...Obito, I failed...again._

0o0o0o

Back up the river to the very beginning of the Valley, near the very edge of the forest, the ground started the morph upward, as the ground parted, a 'man' with green hair and venus fly-trap extensions rose from the ground clothed in a long, dark cloak with red clouds, a red interior, and a chin-high collar. His body had two different coloured halves, his left side was completely white and the right side black. Although the two halves had different personalities, the shared the name Zetsu with relative ease.

"Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! This is not good!" The white half spoke with a sense of hysteria. "Why did we not intervene? We could have jumped that Uchiha twit!"

"_**It was sheer fluke we came along.**_" The black half was calmer, his voice gruff and deep, though he was admittedly concerned with current events. "_**There was nothing we could have done**_."

"Did you see that jinchūriki's chest explode?" The white half was rambling much to the black half's irritation. "The leader is going to freak out! So will the rest of Akatsuki!"

"_**This is a minor setback.**_" The black half was not trying to reassure his other half; he gave up trying a long time ago. "_**The boss can still make this work; he always has a backup...even for something like this.**_"

"A minor setback? How about complete and utter failure! This little Akatsuki expedition is over." The black half hated it when the white half was freaking out like this; it always made their heart accelerate to an uncomfortable rate. "Assuming the boss does not rip our head off, Akatsuki will! What are we going to tell them?"

"_**The truth: the Kyuubi **__**jinchūriki is dead...and so is the Kyuubi itself.**_"

0o0o0o

A/N: Hey guys. Here is a new story. Let me know what you think.

FYI this is a challenge that I accepted from ABitterPill who was kind enough to help me finalize this universe. PM and Review as always. TTFN!


	2. Chapter 2

Hey guys and gals, here is the latest chapter. A lot of this chapter is word for word verbatim in canon but it deviates pretty quickly.

Hope you enjoy.

_**Chapter 2: The Grief of Pawns**_

The hospital was usually busy; sickness does not take a day off no matter what the circumstance. However, when medical squads 1, 4 and 7 are called in to assist an emergency, it does not take a genius to figure out that something is wrong.

Intensive Care Units 6 and 7 were the most well equipped sectors in the hospital, used for the most critical of injuries. Intensive Care Unit 7 was currently playing host to Hyuuga Neji, one of five ninja of the Sasuke Retrieval Team.

Although Neji was considered a genius and a model ninja, not even he would be able to shrug off a hole in his chest. Shizune could not help but sweat over the delicacy of the one procedure that could save his life.

"Don't be hesitant! We cannot afford to screw up the _Chikatsu Saisei no Jutsu_! We will not get another chance." Shizune commanded with authority. The entire room was converted into a barren empty area which allowed space for the technique required to save their patients life.

"Although we are using the patient's hair as a medium, please do not make a mistake with the cell ratio of the damaged area!"

"Yes!" The other medics knew the score, and continued the efforts with renewed vigour.

0o0o0o

Intensive Care Unit 6's patient was in more serious need of aid, and as such required a higher calibre of medic. None other than Tsunade, The Fifth Hokage could stem his injuries.

"These Akimichi Clan pills," Tsunade was mulling over a huge book in front of her containing decade's worth of medical knowledge, "cellular degeneration is one nasty side effect. The fight must have been quite one sided."

"Eating the red pill is a suicide move." A medic called out. "It will likely kill you, but it would give the chance to take someone else with you. The Akimichi are the only people who stand the chance of surviving the after effects."

Stopping the degeneration is a tough job, the only thing holding Chouji to this plane of existence is a combination of complete dumb luck and the will to survive. Right now, Tsunade had no idea which one was more dominant and that was the problem. Tsunade gazed up to see her patient, Akimichi Chouji, lying on the operating table, with seals and IV drips stabilising his condition, at least for the while.

_Fortunately, this book had given me the perfect remedy_. Tsunade smiled gently, the Nara Clan's medical knowledge is not the most thorough, nor is it the most advanced, the Hokage noticed some remedies that were outdated. However, the Nara's medical recipe and guidebook does provide some quick shortcuts to remedies.

"Give me more deer horn." Before Tsunade knew it, freshly ground horn was one her table.

0o0o0o

Outside the Intensive Care Unit, a rather nervous Shikamaru was sitting on a bench twiddling his thumbs at great speed; it was possibly the only thing that has been preventing him from losing his mind.

It was an interesting crossroad in Shikamaru's life, a moment of 'firsts'. It was his first time taking control of a unit, the first time facing enemies of such terrifying skill, the first time seeing the true ugliness of command and the consequences that go with it. It was the first time he has felt so nauseated that he could vomit right then and there.

The bored shinobi never believed in a higher power or fate. He never went to temple and he was not fond of monks. It did not make any sense for a boy whose mind functioned like a supercomputer. Now that he was outside of an Intensive Care Unit where his friend Choji was fighting for his life, for the first time, Nara Shikamaru actually prayed.

_Please Kami_, Shikamaru was still fidgeting, _please don't do this to me. Don't let Chouji pay for my mistakes._

"It is pointless to be so fidgety." Shikamaru looked up to see the girl sitting opposite him, a rather pretty girl, though he would never admit that, a stern look on her face. Temari had bailed him out from a rather tough fight, without a bead of sweat to show for it. "Sacrifices are an inevitable part of missions. Where is your emotional training?"

"Training is different from combat." Shikamaru resumed his fidgeting, trying to keep his mind occupied. "I knew what missions would consist of, and I thought I understood what the world of the shinobi was like."

Temari's eyes did not waver; she was waiting for him to get to a point, if there was one at all.

"This was the first time I was made team captain for a mission, and now I understand...I am not cut out to be a shinobi."

Temari's eyes narrowed and said something that Shikamaru predicted to the word. "You are unexpectedly annoying, even though you are acting like a man."

Shikamaru stood, already thinking of how he could explain to the Hokage that he does not want to be captain...for anything. "I shouldn't have been team captain this time. All I did was put my trust in everyone else, but I was too naive. I didn't have enough strength. It's all my fault!" Shikamaru barely noticed his clenched fist.

Shikamaru's ever worsening slouch became all the more obvious as he started to walk away. He barely heard what Temari said next.

_What am I going to do? What is this feeling?_ Shikamaru's stomach was twisted in knots; he had an idea why he felt like this but it was something more. It felt...ominous. _Something is going wrong?_ Shikamaru's skin took a paler shape. _Chouji..._

A familiar voice penetrated is brooding thoughts.

"Shikamaru. You are being talked down to by a girl and now you're running away?" The rather harsh words from his father hiding behind a corner were not meant to be scornful but thought provoking. It was Shikaku's only way of making his son think and talk to him. Shikamaru should have guessed that he would be confronted by him; it was always brought up in conversation that he was a clone of his father; from appearance to intelligence. Shikaku was possibly the only one that could make his son see reason.

"I don't need an argument pops. I am not a girl." Shikamaru's rather nonchalant tone, his own personal defence mechanism was starting to crumble under the pressure.

"True...but you're no man either. You are a spineless coward. You know better than anyone that missions will still occur, whether or not you are a shinobi." Shikaku's paternal tone was growing more aggressive; a method of making his stubborn son listen.

"Someone is going to carry them out. Your friends will just be assigned to a new leader...and then, they might all die. If you are their captain, your friends might not end up that way. If you look at this time as a learning experience, and grow from it, maybe you'll be able to carry out your missions perfectly. If your friends are really that important to you, before you think about running away, consider becoming greater for the sake of your friends. That is what it means to be a true friend!"

The silence in the emergency hall was almost deafening, if you could ignore the pun. Shikamaru's mind was puzzling around in a thousand different directions, wondering what to say, what would be the appropriate response.

A familiar lurch of an opening door brought him back to reality. The clicking shoes of Tsunade as she left the emergency room were the only sound Shikamaru could hear or care about.

_This is it..._Shikamaru closed his eyes and waited for the prognosis...

0o0o0o

"It's alright. Chouji is out of danger." Tsunade made it sound as if it was nothing; a tide of relief surrounded Shikamaru and washed over him. He did not even hear Tsunade going through an analysis of her cure nor did he hear her complimenting his father on the prestigious Nara Clan Medical Book.

_Chouji is alive...what a relief. _Shikamaru pulled in a deep breath and exhaled for a good 15 seconds. _I can't believe it..._

Shikamaru looked up to see a young woman turn the corner; Tsunade's assistant and apprentice. There was a slow pace to her step, like she was shambling along on injured feet. However, the frown on her face and the watery eyes said it all. The relief Shikamaru had dropped into panic and dread. _Neji..._

Apparently, Tsunade, his father and Temari noticed as well, they stopped talking and stared at the rather disheartened Shizune. Tsunade especially was racked with nerves; no one took the news of losing a patient as she did.

"Neji is...safe." Tsunade was quietly stunned. _This is sad news?_

"Geez Shizune. You scared me, wipe that depressing look off your face." Tsunade tried to move around it. Shikamaru however had already started to process the information given to him and was already making the adequate conclusion, the curse of being born with such intelligence.

_Wait...Chouji, Neji, Kiba, myself... where's- oh no. _Shikamaru and Shikaku's skin took a shade of white that would make a corpse envious_...oh no._

Before Shizune could explain, Shikaku instantly put two and two together; Kakashi willingly went the furthest out to find Naruto. What the father realised is that he was about to witness the death of part of his son's soul.

"It's not Neji." Shizune's tears strolled down her cheeks, her composure lost. "We just received word from Kakashi..."

0o0o0o

Sakura and Ino were running towards the village hospital when they heard the news of the return of the Sasuke Retrieval Team. They wound up in front of reception breathing heavily.

"Where is Chouji and Shikamaru?" The desperation in Ino's voice was lost to the receptionist who glanced up them casually before pointing towards the elevators to the upper level. "I am heading off to see Chouji. What about you?"

"I am going to see Naruto and Sasuke-kun." She looked expectantly at the nurse at the desk who just shook her head as she looked down the patient list. A frown crept across Sakura's face.

_They haven't checked in yet?_

0o0o0o

As Tsunade walked back to her office, she reflected on the events that unfolded. Her first reaction was...nothing. Everyone else responded in some way; Shikamaru fell to his knees and wept, Shizune sobbed beneath her hair and Temari's widened in horror at the concept much less the news (this was the boy that defeated her brother). Even Shikaku bowed his head, but Tsunade guessed it was more for cursing the dead boy silently rather than praying; Shikamaru would never be the same again.

_Then again, none of us ever will._ Tsunade's steps echoed the hallway , but she was too involved in her own thoughts. _Why did I do nothing? Why do I feel so...empty? Am I waiting for something?_

Tsunade glanced at the floor, barely acknowledging those who greeted her as she walked back to her office. It was times like this that she really regretted getting involved in everything, especially returning to Konoha.

Every time she had returned home, Tsunade had to deal with the pain of losing someone she cared about; that was why she left in the first place, never staying in one place for more than a few days, no attachments, no one to feel pain for...

As she walked up the stairs, she wondered how the village would react if she just quit.

"Hokage-sama, I am here to submit these documents." Tsunade did a half turn to see a relatively young jounin holding up some documents for the lord damiyo's office.

"Not now."

"But-"

"Later." Tsunade closed the door behind her and leaned against it.

_Finally-_ Only when Tsunade opened her eyes did she actually realise that someone was already in her office; Kakashi. _Sneaky as ever._

He held something in his hand, in a grip so tight his knuckles turned bone white.

_Was this what I was waiting for?_ Tsunade has had experience with this situation twice before, she did not have to guess that this was going to be the third.

"No..."

_Not again._

"Hokage-sama." Kakashi opened his palm to reveal the green-crystal necklace lying there, mocking her once again.

_It has been a while, has it not, Tsunade-hime? I missed you, oh so much. I was beginning to think you forgot about me. _ The necklace gleamed in radiant light. _But I am back and now we'll be together again. Forever and ever...and ever...and ever..._

0o0o0o

Well guys there you have it. Chapter 2 done and dusted. It is not as long as I hoped but this story is still experimental.

I am currently in the process of still determining how Naruto comes back, either via 'resident evil' kind of mess or more supernatural (think Solomon Grundy) thing. I am welcome to your thoughts.

Review and PM me as usual. Take Care!


	3. Chapter 3

Well folks, the vote is in and this chapter is the result. Yes this story is not abandoned, but is being subject to heavy discussion. I apologise with delay but it was exam time in Australia.

I would like to thank ABitterPill, my beta and the one who issued this challenge.

So without further ado, here we go!

**Chapter 3: Broken Lines**

The funeral was nice, at least as nice as one can get without being clichéd, it is a funeral after all. The raw emotions were held in check but they were festering and boiling underneath the supposed calm surface.

As the body was not found, it had to be held on the plaque near Training Ground 7, the one that Kakashi always stood before for hours on end for multiple reasons. Naruto's death was one more.

There was a congregation of about twenty-one people, which in the grand scheme of things was relatively small procession. Despite Naruto's bravery and his never ending optimism, his position as a jinchūriki sealed his fate as a feared and naturally despised person.

The remaining ten of the twelve genin were gathered in the front. The original members of the Ino-Shika-Cho clan were present as well as Hyuuga Hisashi, Inuzuka's Tsume and Hana, in tribute to the fallen comrade of their children. The four sensei from each of the teams; Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenai and Gai, all stood near the far ends of the procession.

Everyone who is informed of the death of someone close takes the news badly, and no one took the news worse than Iruka. Although he did not cry, you could tell that the grief he felt trumped what anyone else was feeling, his eyes said it all. Shizune stood near the back behind the procession, tears streaming down her face; she had not cried like that since the news of her Uncle Dan passing away.

They all gazed at the freshly engraved name of their comrade and friend on the stone; 'Uzumaki Naruto.'

A monk was called by Asuma as a special favour to lead the procession, which was a nice gesture on his part. Although he barely knew Naruto, he had the greatest respect for Kakashi; and if Kakashi approved of someone then he was alright in Asuma's book.

"I was wondering, do you know where Hokage-sama is? I expected her to be here." Asuma's rather innocent question received an unreadable look from Kakashi.

0o0o0o

He could still remember the look on her face when Kakashi handed back the necklace to her. The supposed curse on the necklace was all too well known, and he considered throwing it away or burying it, however it did not feel right. It seemed appropriate to return it to the original owner, whether she wanted it or not.

Tsunade's gaze turned everywhere except to Kakashi...and the necklace held in her hand. Tsunade tried so hard to hold back her tears but it was not to be. Her lower lip was quivering as she tried to speak.

"...n-nothing at all?"

"No trace of him Hokage-sama." Kakashi had his head bowed and his eyes bore a hole into the floor.

"But he could still be alive! We have to get search teams to-"

"Tsunade-hime, please, I want to find him more than anyone, and with all due respect, yes even more than you do. But that river, not even the best of our trackers can find him in time, assuming that he was still alive."

A silence filled the room, Tsunade stared at her desk for what seemed to be hours. However, the silence was over as quickly as it began.

"We will hold a procession two days from now...in the courtyard." Tsunade turned her chair to face the open village of Konohagakure, the back of her head facing Kakashi.

"Hokage-sama, you-"

"That will be all Kakashi...please leave." Kakashi was not so compliant.

"Hokage-sama, I can guess that you are thinking of leaving the village...again. You should know though that this is not grounds for quitting." Tsunade remained silent. "Besides, Naruto would not want you to quit. That is for losers."

With that he took his leave; no one should have to see a Hokage like this. As he closed the door, he could hear sobbing from a woman who might as well have lost her son...or little brother.

Kakashi knew the feeling.

0o0o0o

Sakura, never coped with grief well; when she thought Sasuke died at the hands of Haku she had broken down and cried, even when she knew she shouldn't. When Sasuke abandoned Konohagakure... abandoned her, when she pleaded Naruto to bring him back, she nearly fell to his knees.

_He's gone._

Only after she heard the news about Naruto death, did she truly realise that all the grief she felt, all the sadness she has experienced...was nothing compared to what she felt; complete and total despair.

The kind that can taint souls. The kind of pain that you cannot express through tears. The stuff that sticks with you till the day you die.

_Just gone._

As the funeral progressed, she just stood there at the front of the group staring at the stone carving; one of the few reminders, that Naruto, her friend...ever existed.

Ever since the Sakura heard the news, she found her mind turning to past events of Team 7; the D rank missions, the constant whining of Naruto, all the fun times. The memories that were most apparent were the ones where Sakura was mean or harsh to Naruto in some way. A beating here, a wry insult there, but Sakura always imagined that Team 7 would stay together.

_That's never going to happen now._ Sakura's hair covered her face, tears swelling in her eyes. She felt a hand gently place itself on her shoulder, she glanced aside to see Iruka staring at her with a blank look on his face, but his eyes were bloodshot and swollen.

"Naruto would not want this for any of us, I like to think he would just smile and say something crazy like 'Well this puts a small dent in my plans to be Hokage.'" Sakura felt the sudden urge to laugh, but what came out was more of a sudden gasp of air.

"You know he always cared about you, Sakura," Iruka turned to face the small monument, "the last thing he would want is for you to be crying."

"I guess..." Sakura mumbles, the grip of Iruka's hand tightened, but only slightly.

"You guess?" Sakura knew what Iruka was getting at with that coy tone in his voice.

"...I know."

"Much better." Sakura gave a small huff, which was supposed to be a chuckle.

0o0o0o

At the very back, far beyond the training ground, stood three shadows; the Sand siblings. Kankuro stared at the small procession, but that did not fascinate him; he had been to funerals before.

What fascinated him was his little brother. The red-head's face seemed passive and peaceful, with his eyes closed Garaa could almost be mistaken for being asleep. However the small tears that accumulated at the corners of both eyes were unmistakeable.

_He has never been like this,_ Kankuro frowned, _not even at father's funeral._

"If someone as good as him can fall," Garaa's voice sounded shaky, "what hope is there for me?"

"He would not want it this way, Garaa." Temari whispered, placing a hand on his shoulder, for once in such a long time, the sand did not slap it away. "Naruto would not want you to mourn like this."

"Someone has to Temari." Garaa's glazed eyes finally opened and stared at his sister. "Someone has to say that he did not deserve this, SOMEone had to feel despair. Someone has to care."

_Damn you Naruto for making my brother fall so low. Didn't you understand how much Garaa needed you? _Kankuro's eyes stared at the procession. "I think Naruto's loss had affected enough people. There is enough despair here without yours Garaa."

The puppet master cringed under the unyielding glare from his sister, the only person apart from Garaa that could terrify him. "Naruto would want you to continue without him, to succeed without him. And if you won't do it for him Garaa...you have to do it for yourself."

"I'll try." Garaa mumbled. "But..."

Kankuro turned to see Garaa, no...his little brother confused and upset. Two things he never thought he would see. Who would have thought that such change could have been possible because of an encounter with a whiskered blonde. Kankuro placed a gentle hand on his brother's shoulder and offered a silent prayer.

_Despite my rambling, I must thank you Naruto. On behalf of Temari and myself; you have given us a brother. So thank you Naruto...and may you rest in peace._

0o0o0o

Naruto found himself in dark place. He could not see anything. He could not taste anything. He could not feel anything. He could not smell anything.

He could, however, hear something.

"_Uzumaki Naruto..."_ The voice called. _"Naruto you must resist."_ Naruto felt his consciousness ebb and fade away as if he was waking up from strange dream.

_What?_

"_Naruto, you must resist."_

_Who are you? Kyuubi?_

"_Don't think, just listen." _The voice was soft-spoken and gentle, however there was a sense of concern in its tone. _"You must resist."_

_What?_

"_You must resist Naruto. Don't listen to them."_

**WAKE UP!**

0o0o0o

Naruto woke up with a start. He felt hard rock against his hands; cold, damp rock. He could smell mould and ever so briefly the salt of the sea. He could hear a rhythmic dripping noise as drops of water impacted the cold rocky flour. He could taste the strong metallic tang of blood.

What he could see on the other hand was foreign to him. The only source of light was a strange green luminescence coming from the ceiling of...wherever he was. It was open and barren yet enclosed, like he was in some cave.

In front of him stood a strange rock with intricate carvings, the green glow showed inscriptions that were either too small to read or of such a foreign nature Naruto could not understand them. The rock itself seemed man-made as it took on the rough shape of a large goat or ram.

**Hello Naruto.**

The blonde would have jumped but, he could not move, he did not feel bound, but rather paralysed. Naruto tried to get up, but all his leg did was twitch in response.

**You cannot do that Naruto. **The voice was like a chorus of deep voiced males singing as one. However it spoke with a clarity and understanding seemingly gained from what seemed like eons of experience. It however, did not sound threatening..._at least not yet._

"Who are you?" Naruto wheezed. The blonde coughed which created a strange tension in his muscles, like he had not used them in a while. The blonde tried to get his bearing on where the sound was coming from, but it seemed to come from everywhere; the rock, the ceiling and the very shadows itself.

**We do not have a name. Though we have been called many things in the past.**

"Such as?" Naruto coughed. _Ugh, I don't feel so good._

**We were called Jashin-sama, once upon a time.**

"Where am I?"

**You are where we brought you.**

"That does not tell me anything." Naruto croaked, a flash of what occurred what seemed moments ago. A rescue mission...Shikamaru, Kiba, Neji, Chouji , Lee...Sasuke. A promise.

"Sasuke! I need to go!" With a renewed strength Naruto lurched to his feet. The pain was agonising as his back and legs tightened with the intensity of a constricting cobra. He promptly fell back to the ground with a deafening thud and all the grace of a brick. "What have you done to me?"

**We have not done anything to you. This is what you now are.**

"I-I don't understand." Naruto fumbled, he felt strangely numb. "I'm okay...Sasuke missed." _No, missed on purpose_. Even though it hurt, Naruto let out a wide grin. "He saved me. He wants me to bring him back. I have to help him!"

**We do not know who or what a 'Sasuke' is.** The old voice went quiet, and for a strange reason the whiskered blonde felt as if he was being scrutinised. __**But 'he' did not 'miss'.**

"I don't understand." Naruto was worried, yet he felt strangely calm...serene.

**Look at your chest and understand. **Naruto complied...and screamed something awful.

0o0o0o

"What have you done to me?"

**We have not done anything. We found you this way.** The voice faced the blonde's struggle with an attempt at soothing calmness.

"You're lying!" Naruto tried to flee, to panic, but for some reason he couldn't. He gazed at the hole at the centre of his chest, right where the heart would be. The wound was fused an cauterised, it smelt awful and burnt. There was blood over his jumper, giving it a rather vermillion colour. The wound was the size of a rather large apple...or the fist of a thirteen year old boy.

"Sasuke..." Naruto tried so desperately to cry, some attempt to relieve this pain. This betrayal. But no tears came. "He couldn't have done this."

**We do not know who or what could have caused you that wound. **The voice shifted and glided around the cave. **We gave up on knowing the outside world. But you **_**are**_** dead.**

Naruto gazed at his body, or at least what was left of it. The skin was pale white and heavy, and his hands had a slightly blue colour. "But...but how am I here." Naruto sniffed. "Why can I breathe and move?" _Fucking cry already. _"Why am I talking?"

**You are doing all those things because we have temporarily bound you to your body. But the body is dead, you are breathing and talking because it is what you have known all your life.**

"You bound me?" Naruto sniffed.

**Temporarily. **

"But why?"

**To give you a choice. **The voice paused as if for dramatic effect. **We found you just outside our domain. Your body carries an aura of a man whose was cheated out of his destiny.**

"Cheated?" Naruto thought. "Sasuke?" The very thought of the Uchiha pained the blonde greatly.

**No mortal can cheat someone else out of their destiny.** The voice dismissed the idea the same way an adult would dismiss a child's theory as obviously stupid.** No average mortal anyway.**

"Then what?"

**A being similar to us. It played the odds, shifted the nature of the universe and rewrote a story. Your story. We abhor such attempts and we are willing to recompense. **

Naruto thought about what was said and nearly jumped for joy. "Y-you mean you're going to make me come back to life? You're going to resurrect me?"

**We are neither willing nor able to give you life.** The voice dashed Naruto's hopes albeit apologetically.** Destiny has been rewritten, and to heal you would alter your story. That has already been done once, we will not permit it again.**

"Then what?"

**You have a choice; your story has changed but it can continue. But only if you want it to.**

"I don't understand."

**We are offering you the chance to continue your existence as it is.**

"My existence?" Naruto numbness fell away to reveal a rather familiar emotion: rage. "As in dead? You expect me to accept that?"

**We make no assumptions. We do not propose this offer to anyone who has been slighted by life. This was not your destiny, but now it is. It is up to you how you wish to deal with it.**

"So I am just going to continue my life as a..." The rage was replaced by a more potent emotion: horror "a...corpse?"

**An oversimplification. But it is apt. But your existence in this world will continue.**

Despite Naruto's stunned belief at what he now was he could not help but inquire more. "What do you mean?"

**We can provide a means of binding you permanently to your body and your existence will continue in this realm almost indefinitely.**

"In exchange?"

**You will suffer greatly, Naruto. Make no mistakes about that. You will lose a significant part of yourself. **

"Such as?"

**A majority of your memories and your soul. You will lose your ability to perform some of your techniques. You will have to forsake all concepts of having a normal life. You will live in a constant state for survival scrounging up whatever and whoever you can find to ensure your existence. You will cease to develop as a human being. You will lose all forms of ambition and dreams.**

"But my dream to be Hokage! And Sakura! I can't -"

**Those dreams will vanish along with any other desire you crave. Except one.**

"My soul-"

**Will be used to support the process. That is the price to be paid and it will be a permanent process. It will be irretrievable.**

"You said earlier about losing all desires 'except one'? What is that?"

The voice actually took pause and it seemed to consider its next words. **A desire to feed. On everything...and everyone.**

"What?"

**Naruto we can promise you that you will exist, but we cannot guarantee that you will exist comfortably. **

"'Comfortably'? You make me sound like a cannibal? A-a monster!"

**You will need to feed in order to maintain your body against the harsh challenges reality may pose to you. **

"If I may be forward Jashin." Naruto growled. "This is a pretty shitty deal."

**It is.** The voice seemed unconcerned. **But you will exist. **

"Is there any upside to this?"

**Besides your continued existence?** Naruto imagined that if the voice had a face it would have a rather perturbed look. **You will be stronger and faster than ever, you will be blessed with a stamina that no living being will be able to counter and you will never die.**

"Because I am already dead." Naruto flinched as he finished his sentence.

**Correct.**

"And if I say no?"

**Then your existence ends here. We will sever the ties that bind you here and allow your soul to slip away. We offered you this choice as your new destiny leaves no other better alternatives. You would have continued to slip down the river into the bottom of an ocean. Your body would remain undiscovered and unknown until the end of time.**

"This is insane!"

**We never said the choice would be easy Naruto, only that you would have one. The choice before you is this: whether you want your existence to end now, or whether you want to continue on. Be warned however Naruto, that this choice before you is one-time only. Whatever you decide now you will have to accept forever. You will be unable to change your decision once it has been made.**

"Do I have to decide now?"

**Your binding to this realm is unnatural Naruto. We can hold you here, but not forever. You must make a decision, if not now, then soon.**

Naruto rattled his brain over the conversation with the mysterious force. It appeared to have good intentions even so far as telling him of all the negative aspects of the deal. "What happens in the afterlife?"

**We can neither confirm nor deny its existence.**

"You cannot tell me anything?"

**It is not our place.**

The voice went quiet, leaving Naruto to his thoughts. Wondering about the circumstance in which he found himself. Naruto was aware that life dealt him an unfair hand from birth, however his charisma and determination always managed to overcome his obstacles.

_But this...this was not just unfair. It was, if this voice was anything to go by, not what was supposed to happen. I was cheated..._

Naruto gazed at the hole in his chest. _Sasuke..._

"Jashin..."

**Be warned Naruto, as we told you; what you decide now, you will forever deal with.**

"Will I be forever lost?" Naruto gazed at the pillar. "If I accept the deal, is there any chance I will become what I once was?"

**We do not know. A human's actions have a way of changing the future. **The voice went momentarily quiet, pondering the question. **What we do know is that you are Uzumaki Naruto. No one, not the Shinigami, not Kami, not us, can take that from you. **

"Then I have come to decision."

**What is your choice, Naruto?**

0o0o0o

A/N: Well guys there you have it; chapter 3. I hope you enjoyed it. I have been working in conjunction with ABitterPill to try and make this story come to life.

The next chapter will take place after the timeskip, where everyone has grown up.

I'll see you then. Take care!

Review and PM as always!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer and all that jazz.

Hey guys here is the latest chapter 4. As you may have guessed I have gone with a more 'supernatural' rather than 'crazy science' approach. This chapter continues the story after the time skip. It takes place about three months befor the canon 'Rescue Gaara' Arc.

I hope you enjoy it.

Special thanks to my beta and brainstormer, ABitterPill.

_**Chapter 4: Dead Man's Chronicles**_

The Godaime Hokage Senjuu Tsunade sat at her desk downing her forth cup of coffee in less than an hour. Oh how she hated mornings. If getting out of bed was not irksome enough, she had to deal with the ridiculous bird calls that mocked her through her bedroom windows. This of course was barely trumped by the fact that when it came to being a Hokage, the day did not start when the sun was out. No, that was too easy; you had to start at four in the morning, when the sun had not even begun to rise.

"Sometimes I hate this job." Tsunade grunted as she pulled another mission report from her never ending inbox pile. "How Hiruzen pulled this off is beyond me."

"Tsunade-sama! Quit whining!" A rather flustered Shizune barged into the room with another pile of papers in one hand and another steaming cup of coffee in the other. "The sooner you get this done, the sooner you can end the day."

"Shizune, don't be coy." Tsunade snatched the coffee from her former apprentices hands. "We both know the day of a Hokage does not end. I am still catching up with paperwork from last week."

"My argument still stands." Shizune ran her fingers through her hair, still wet from her traditional cold shower. "Now stop your moping and get back to work." Shizune grabbed all the papers in her outbox so it could be put into administration.

"Just who the hell is the superior here?" Tsunade muttered under her breath, but made sure it was just loud enough to communicate her displeasure.

_A Hokage should be able to do whatever they want. I swear sometimes the only reason I bother with this position is because of...Naruto._ Tsunade silently cursed herself, she always came down this road when she really did not want to do any work and it always opened up the old wound. A sudden knock on the door interrupted her train of thought.

"Come in!" A fifteen year old Sakura walked into her master's office with a strut in her step, she had been a morning person for several years now. This ability filled Tsunade with both jealousy and admiration, a gift which would always come in handy with her position. Although it irked Shizune and it was against the rules, she regularly used Sakura as an assistant with her paperwork.

Sakura's attire and appearance had changed since the passing of her colleague, she wore a long sleeved loose fitting coat over a basic green mission vest and underneath was set of heavy mesh body armour. Her shoes were custom black rubber boots. Her hair was cut even shorter just hovering below her ears and her jaw line was more apparent indicative of someone who had lost a lot of weight. There were heavy rings under her eyes that reminded some of their colleagues of Gaara.

The strangest part was the colour of her clothes, Sakura loved the colour red. Looking at her now, apart from her pink hair there was not a single shred of red anywhere. Everything was standard mission grey or green.

Tsunade knew there was method in the madness; Sakura had spent the past two and a half years becoming one of the more prestigious medics in Konoha, however her clothing had the overall purpose of countering three things; fire, electricity and ocular genjutsu.

Tsunade reflected on the training that Sakura had undergone to get to the level she was at. The drills, the late night study sessions, it all paid off it the end. She launched herself miles in front of her classmates.

Now a Tokubetsu Jōnin specialising in medical jutsu, Sakura was one of the most sought after kunoichi in Konoha, both professionally and personally. Although she accepted every mission that came to her, she refused any and all invitations for a date. It was a polite refusal but a refusal nonetheless. Instead she delved into her work as if there was no worried Tsunade on a number of levels. _I worked hard too, but at least I was hanging out and dating back then._

"Back already, huh?" Tsunade sighed as she sipped the latest brew. "I expected you to take some time off."

"I'm fine." Sakura shrugged.

Tsuande noticed that the rings under her eyes were darker than usual. "When was the last time you got any sleep?"

"Fifty hours ago." Sakura still stood firm, she glanced over a list of mission scrolls. "I'm fine."

"Sakura, you need some rest." Tsunade waved her off. "Go get some sleep, heck, go out and meet up with Ino. Maybe she could introduce you to someone. Someone _male_."

"Not interested." Sakura's eyes vaguely flickered. The pink haired jounin rarely succumbed to being teased. Unless of course Tsunade was feeling particularly mischievous.

"Okay, someone female if you're into that sort of thing." Tsunade did not have to look up to know that Sakura's cheeks turned tomato red. "Heck, why not both? Heck, why not at the same time? Kami knows I would."

"T-Tsunade-sama!" Tsunade hid her smirk from view. Revving up Sakura was one of her favourite hobbies, besides it was always nice to see Sakura act like a girl for once instead of a ninja 24/7. For the briefest moment the pink haired genin looked normal.

"Tempting Sakura and I am flattered, but I don't swing that way." Tsuande's smile stretched from ear to ear. "Now that I think about it, you happen to be close enough to Ino...you two wouldn't happen to be...?"

"No." Sakura may as well have been a seven year old girl stomping her foot in defiance. Tsuande almost laughed at the tone in Sakura's voice.

The Hokage huffed as she finalised the details of another report. "Pity, it would have been healthy. At least you would have been socialising."

"I...I-I'm too busy to worry about that." Tsunade glanced up to see her student recompose herself almost immediately. "I'm fine."

_The woman is gone, the ninja is now back._

"You think that if you say it enough times I'll believe you?" Tsunade shifted her paperwork to one of the 'completed' piles. "You look like death, get some rest."

"I'm not a kid." Sakura's eyes narrowed just a little. "Is that an order?"

"It will be." Tsunade's eyes returned to meet her student's defiant gaze. "Keep it up and I'll put you to sleep...again."

"I'm-"

"Yes. 'Fine'. You said that." Tsunade grew weary of her objections and chose to settle this. "I don't know who you're trying to impress Sakura but I assure you it is unnecessary."

"The more missions I get, the more experience I gain." Sakura looked a little flustered. "Eventually I will be able to...to-"

"Look for Sasuke?" Tsunade lifted an eyebrow. Sakura's green eyes met the floor as her master interrogated her. "You want to look for a traitor? All these years of training, sacrifices and hard work for that?"

"..." As the Hokage stared at her apprentice, she became aware that here free hand reflexively went to the green necklace hanging around her neck. It was a habit that she developed after the death of her brother and it stuck with her. When the necklace returned from Naruto's neck, the habit followed. Every time she got close to a touchy subject, Tsunade could not help but grip the very thing that supposedly killed the people she cared about.

'_Cursed' necklace indeed._

"Sakura, obsession is an ugly thing. I have observed it. Hell, I have even experienced it personally." Tsunade gripped her mug a fraction more than was necessary, it was beginning to crack under pressure. "Jiraya, Orochimaru, Sasuke...even Shikamaru. Once they are consumed it is very difficult to get out, I only just made it. What do you hope to accomplish, hmm? Some kind of dignity? Revenge? Sasuke followed that path and look where it got him; alone, rejected and servant to a monster. You could end up walking a similar path if you keep it up."

"You don't hate him?" Sakura raised her eyebrows. "I thought you of all people would."

"_Of course_ I hate him." Tsunade seethed. "So much that I occasionally dream of that bastard's death, and how horrible I could make it. But I don't let it consume me, my only hope is that I let the ANBU do what they do, and eventually they'll nail him."

Sakura's frown became more pronounced. "They did the same thing with the Orochimaru and look where that got us."

"True." The Hokage nodded. "But what is the alternative? Break out into search parties? Interrogate every man, woman and child in Oto? Why not mass executions until someone talks? Assuming you do find Sasuke, what then? Capture him? Kill him? Torture him to death?"

Sakura's green eyes darkened. "I won't bring him back in one piece if that is what you mean."

"This was the man you loved, wasn't it?" Tsunade gazed, the jounin's eyes glazed slightly at the question. "You know it won't bring _him_ back."

Sakura sniffed as she rubbed her watery eyes, but nonetheless held her ground.

"Naruto would not want this for you. You know that." Tsunade smiled gently. "He cared for you greatly and the last thing he would want is for you to become another Sasuke. He would want you to let go. He would want you to have a life beyond your missions and studies. He may even want you to get a friggin boyfriend...or girlfriend. Or both."

Sakura let out something between a sob and a laugh. "I guess..."

"I want you to take a week off." Tsunade nodded. "Once you have rested and dare I say party, we'll talk again."

0o0o0o

_Why does my hand look like this?_ The creature sat on its small chair staring at its limb, perplexed. The creature wore tattered rags covered in soot, dirt and variety of other elements. It had an unclean smell and feel to it, but such things never bothered the creature.

_Why is it here? I shouldn't have a hand, I know I shouldn't...but I don't know why. Why?_ The creature often contemplated this sort of thing, when it wasn't...hungry. Therefore it partook these rare opportunities to indulge in philosophical questions with a combination of relief and curiosity, whenever they came.

The creature had nothing else to do but ponder, when it was not busy eating._ Why did I look human? Why do I have a hand? Why am I so damn hungry all the time? _Occasionally it would inquire as to the most important questions of all. _Who am I? What am I? Why am I here?_

Those questions admittedly stumped the creature. There was no quiet rationality, no debate for and against. Silence was the only answer it received.

_Something..._ Every time it tried to reach, the answer slipped away. It gazed around the cave looking at the drawings on the wall, all its creations. The creature took the spare scraps of paper and colouring set from...someone who no longer needed them. After staring at the artistic instruments, it picked up a pencil and began to draw. What once was one work of art soon turned into hundreds all of them littered across its domain. _Why do I draw these things? _The creature did not understand them too well, they were of people.

_People; _it mused, _a very unusual choice of drawing_. The creature rattled its brain but could not remember any encounter with them, but every time it closed its eyes, they were there.

A little boy and a snow white dog, a shy girl with lavender hair, a boy with glasses. There were pictures of a man with a scar running horizontally across his nose and an old man that looked like toad. A girl with a radiant pink hair, a man with one eye...a pair of eyes so red that it reminded the creature of blood.

_Blood..._Its teeth clicked in protest, grinding against imaginary food. _No! Must resist. I...must resist._ The creature clutched at its chest with some residual comfort, clawing at the hole nestled deep within its ribcage. It did not hurt, for it did not feel pain. It was so still, so quiet so unlike a beating heart. The creature recalled the concept of the heart how it is one of the most important parts of the body.

_Brain...liver...kidney. NO!_ The creature shook the thoughts out of its head. It had seen a human heart; it beat so fast. Placing a hand over his ribcage, it did not feel any heat beat instead there was an empty void. _Humans have hearts, but I don't. Am I not human? I could swear I am!...I could swear I was..._

The creature nodded its head recalling a memory...the 'Red Eyes', the thing that haunted its dreams_. 'Red Eyes' took my heart? Did I have one to begin with?_

"Please let me go! P-Please! I promise I won't tell anyone." The creature groaned as it turned to face the source of the interruption. The Girl.

The Girl was young, no older than nine. She had long brown hair and was wearing a simple grey robe. Her hair was tattered and her eyes were red, the symptom of rubbed eyes and tears.

The creature accidently dragged the Girl along with several others back to its home. She had been a guest in the creature's lair for two days now and was fast becoming a nuisance. However, the creature guessed that if she could leave, the Girl would have done so.

Her leg was broken, it was a hairline fracture but nonetheless she could not simply walk out of here. The Girl had attempted to move every now and then, but she did not get far, all while under the creature's quiet gaze. She quietly whimpered her pleas of mercy, or help, to any and all who would be generous to listen. However, there was no one but the creature. The look on her face was that of pure terror, which put off the creature greatly.

"Where's my mommy?" She sobbed.

_What is a 'mommy'? Mother? _The creature hated watching the people suffer so much it could taste it. _Taste...oh no._ The creature cradled its growling stomach, it felt the hunger return in all its glory. It demanded sustenance, but what its appetite craved was wrong, the creature knew it was. After all this time, that feeling did not change, but it could not understand why. _Why do I need that which I do not want?_

"...gruck...-o aaaaaaaaaaaw-ay." The creature's eyes soared to the black rocky ceiling, wondering if he could bore his way out.

"SOMEONE HELP ME!" The Girl cried. The creature clawed at its ears, growling in objection, she was screaming again. It _hated_ the screaming the most, even more than when the food begged. "HELP ME! THE MONSTER TOOK ME!" If the creature had a rock or anything within grabbing distance it would have thrown it directly at the Girl's head. Talking as if it was not there was just rude, it was always there.

The Girl placed her hands firmly on the floor and grunted in pain. The creature was surprised, she was attempting to move again. After two days of utter failure she was still determined to leave. This caused something to stir within the creature...something familiar.

She moved her hands slowly while dragging the bottom half of her body, attempting to fight through the pain. She managed to get two feet before she wilted. The Girl breathed heavily as she laid on the bare rocky ground. The creature noticed that she had bit her lip so hard from the effort that it was bleeding.

_Bleeding...blood..._The creature's stomach growled once more, howling for something to eat. _Anything_ to eat. At that moment, the creature began to see the Girl as something else...something tasty...something edible. However, the feeling that this was just wrong held the creature back, forcing it to fight.

_I can't do it! I WON'T! Don't do it, you bastard!_ The red mark on the girls lips was highlighted amongst her pale skin and tattered clothes. It was mesmerising amongst the grime._ YOU BASTARD! I w...on't...but...s-s...ooo...hungry..._

0o0o0o

"Okay gang! Now is a good time as ever to stoke the fires of youth!" The green garbed Maito Gai cheered to the open sky. Around him were his faithful students from the now defunct Team Nine. After all those students have long gone. What is left is a very powerful group of three jounin.

Although Neji was ever the stoic, he could not help but smirk. However Gai knew that was all the support he would get out in the open. His Jūken fighting style relied on grace, however on top of refining his skills, he took great interest in the practicing of basic medical jutsu. Furthermore, he took on the use of body armour which certainly raised an eyebrow or two in the family.

Lee, although he looked more like Gai than ever, had a 'slimmer' complexion. The fiery jouin was thinner than one dared imagine. Any doctor would have mistaken his condition for severe malnourishment, but that was disregarded due to the ripped abdomen and insanely toned thigh muscles (which gained the attention of a lot of the female populace). With 0% body fat in his system and his own personal taijutsu training from hell, he was fast approaching a calibre rivalling and even exceeding his master.

However, despite her male companions' achievements, Tenten changed the most. Tenten's proficient mastery of weapons had made her an asset in the field. Subsequently, she went along the path that ran contrary but no less amazing to Gai's expectations; ANBU. Tenten's skills had greatly improved and along her career, became increasingly proficient at assassination and long-term stealth operations. She had forgone her favourite clothes in exchange for standard ANBU grey. Although she wore the mask of a lioness, she chose for this particular mission to leave it behind.

"So sensei," Tenten gazed Konoha's main entrance with nostalgia (ANBU did not usually leave though the front door), "why am I here?"

"Well, Tenten." Gai gave her his 'shiny' smile. "I thought this would be a good time to get the team together again. Besides for the purposes of the mission, we need a long range combat expert, and I only accept the best."

Tenten's blush faded as quickly as it came. "Careful sensei, I am susceptible to flattery."

Gai let out a hearty laugh before coming down to business. "For the purposes of the mission we have been commissioned by Ishigakure. Apparently there is an internal problem and they need our help."

"Really?" Neji raised a brow. "It is rare for them to request so. They normally keep to themselves."

"That's true, but apparently they tried to keep this to themselves but things are going dramatically wrong, people are missing. Nearly fifty people are unaccounted for; forty three civilians, six chunin and two jounin."

"So what do they need?" Tenten was surprised, two squadrons of ninja disappearing would be rare to behold.

"People have been disappearing for several months now on outer fringing villages near the Iwa border." Gai nodded to himself. "They want us to find them, and if possible take down the perpetrators."

"Could it be Iwa itself?" Lee queried.

"Unlikely, Iwa does not operate that way, they are not exactly known for their subtlety. Whomever or whatever is doing this leaves very little in terms of identifying marks and evidence as to their whereabouts."

"There were witnesses?"

"Two survivors; both from a recon mission sent from Ishi." Gai flipped through the report in his hand. "They were hiding up in a mountain for a week. The finally returned back to their village about two days ago. Apparently, they were and I quote 'tracked mercilessly by something'."

"Something? As in singular?" Tenten raised a brow.

"That is correct."

"How did they escape?" Neji's eyes narrowed.

"Coincidentally, one of the surviving ninja was a _Bakuton_ user." Gai smirked. "After dodging their attacker for several days without food or rest, he got impatient and practically blew up half the valley and then some. They naturally escaped through the confusion."

"So what have they learned about the perpetrator?" Lee pulled out his small notebook and pencil.

Gai shook his head. "Nothing apart from what you just heard."

"What? They have no idea about size or strength? The explosion did not get anything?"

"They did not see anything. No body and no trace. However, considering the circumstances, they did not stick around to find out."

"There were no bodies to be found? Surely the explosion must have hurt someone." Lee's bushy brows furrowed.

"Perhaps there is more than one, and they collect their dead." Gai shrugged.

"Strange..." Tenten rarely heard of battlefields without bodies. The only time where bodies disappeared was in black op missions. _Could this be some kind of ANBU sect?_

"Or alternatively their attacker was not killed and retreated." Neji frowned. "If so then the enemy would be quite resilient and powerful."

"Either way, it seems like a tough mission. Hence four jounin were assigned."

"So when do we get going?" Lee's impatience was second only to his excitement.

"We head out right now."

0o0o0o

A/N: Well there is chapter 4! I hope you enjoyed it.

I think you know what that creature is. You have already seen how Naruto's death has affected his friends. I would have thought that his death would have pushed them to strive harder and achieve more.

You will see the rest of the rookie 12 soon enough. Not all of them recovered as well as Team Gai.

As for the Girl, that is not her name. This is just how the creature thinks. It sees a girl, it calls her Girl. It sees a woman with pink hair, it calls her Pink Hair etc. You'll see how it develops in the future.

Review as always.

Badsy.


	5. Chapter 5

Hey all, here is Chapter 5. I hope you enjoy it.

Exams have been a pain. Now it is finished so I am back into it.

Thanks as always to me Beta: ABitterPill

_**Chapter 5: A New Plan**_

_I resisted my hunger._ The creature thought. _How did that happen? Why did it happen?_

The creature enjoyed working with its hands. It could be anything: drawing, building, or any form of activity that required use of its hands. It felt peaceful. Right now it was busy screwing a cap onto a thin metal pole. It was occupying. Productive. This was more reassuring and indeed positive in comparison...to what it did the rest of the time.

_The Girl, she is the key, she has to be_. It stared at the Girl as she tried so desperately to leave its home. _But what makes her so special? Why her? Why now?_

It shook its head...the hunger was gone. At least for now. But this Girl..._The Girl. She did something. I don't know what but I regained control. Maybe it can be done again..._

A very dark thought crossed its mind; what happens if it could not? What happens if the hunger could not be subsided? What will happen to the Girl if this was indeed just a fluke?

_...Then it will end the same way it always does..._

It felt...sad at the possibility of failure. But it was a risk it had to take, this was the first time the hunger yielded. Maybe...just maybe...it could be done again. Maybe the hunger could be controlled.

_Maybe._

But for that to happen, the Girl will have to be taken care of. With that in mind, the creature renewed its efforts in the creation of its little project.

0o0o0o

After four and a half days, they finally reached _Ishigakure_, the hidden village of _Tochi no Kuni_. Looking over the village, it lacked the luster of Konoha.

Ishigakure like Amegakure became a battle ground for warring parties such as Iwa and Suna. However unlike Ame, Ishi had resources of great strategic importance, with its year around fertile soil, it could easily supply multiple armies almost indefinitely. After all, all armies needed to eat.

Many years of war and peace had allowed Tochi no Kuni to thrive, being the leading exporter of food on the continent. Due to its location, Iwa and Suna were their primary customers. So from a national security point of view, with two major powers on their side, Tochi was incredibly secure.

As such their ninja village, Ishi was more of security force rather than an actual military. The ninja functioned as rather efficient scouts, hunting bandits and marauders who would otherwise cause ruckus for the farmers in the outlying regions of the country. If it was more serious, Ishi would ask Iwa or Suna for assistance. Naturally when the Hokage received a request for an A-rank mission from the reclusive nation more than a few eyebrows were raised.

"Akuta-sotaicho, thank you for meeting us."

"The pleasure is ours. Glad to meet you." Maito Gai was surprised when he received a warm but incredibly firm handshake from the leader of Ishigakure. The first thing anyone would notice is the ninja's hands, they were rough, scaly, and covered in calluses. His attire consisted of a basic jounin vest a grey undershirt and a pair of heavy cargo pants that looked like it was washed sometime before the last ninja war. His posture and manner of speaking pointed towards a farmer rather than a ninja.

"I must admit we were surprised when we received your request." Maito Gai flexed his hand in surprise, the sotaicho was _strong_. Stronger than he looked.

"Yeah," the man called Akuta grunted, "look we understand it is unorthodox, but would greatly appreciate it if you were discreet in your investigations."

"Can you explain why?"

"You want more information, you're going to have to take it up with the damiyo." Akuta scratched his head. "I think this is a more political move than anything. All I know is that he does not want to go through the usual channels."

"Understood. We will try to get out of your hair as soon as possible." Gai nodded, damiyo's had an unfortunate habit of complicating otherwise simple issues. "Can you provide us with more details about the mission?"

Akuta shrugged. "Not too much. All I know is that two platoons of my men and women disappeared. I am man enough to admit when something is out of my league." He gestured to Team Gai to the door. "I am heading down to the hospital on the ground floor, it is where the two survivors of the reconnaissance squad are being held."

"Is this the _Bakuton_ user?"

"Ah yes. Saitama Kodo." Akuta smirked. "Hot head of a jounin. He always got into trouble with his abilities. This time it got him out of it. He and Sarura Bea only got back about five days ago."

"How are they?"

"Kodo-san is exhausted but well. Bea-san on the other hand..." Akuta frowned. "Bea only got promoted recently. She fought well but whatever pursued them got to her first and did some severe damage. She is a fighter though."

"How bad?" Gai spoke softly. "Can we speak to her?"

"See for yourself." Akuta spoke gravely.

0o0o0o

During her 'housing' the creature made no hostile movements towards her. There was one instance two days ago where it was a breath away from grabbing her. But it stopped just short of her throat, she could feel its claw like hands just dancing around the edges of her hair but quickly withdrew. Since then it had been skulking in the shadows, tinkering around with what sounded like rope, stone and metal.

Run has been trapped in its lair for four days. The maddening loneliness and the unyielding stare of the creature was starting to get to her. She almost wished her kidnapper had killed her. She gently grasped her injured leg, it still stung and hurt like it was on fire. Probably still a good thing, Run read that it stops hurting when infection sets in. Run bit her lip again trying to stifle the pain. She wanted to scream, to cry, to curl up into a ball and wish her whole ordeal away. But she could not do that. She would not do that. There was no way she was going to be weak now, not with the monster so close to her.

_Calm down. It wants something._ Run reflected on her lessons from her father. Negotiation and diplomacy was always based on parties wanting something. _That is the only reason I am alive is because it wants something that only I can offer._

"Why do you keep me here?!" Run cried. "Ransom?! Is that it?!" The creature stood in the shadows, back arched, head tilted. Silence was its only response. The only source of light in the cave was from a small opening in crevice on the ceiling. It gave some illumination to her surroundings but not enough to show her a way out or a glimpse of her kidnapper.

"My father will not pay! You hear!" The dim blue eyes were the only things that stood out from the blackness. It was off putting, never in her worst nightmares did she imagine that the monster that was spoken in whispers had blue eyes. Black eyes, yes. Red eyes, definitely. Brown eyes, maybe. But blue? That was unexpected. Then again this was a time for revelations.

_I was told the monster was a wolf, or some kind of bear. But this thing...it looks like man._ It skulked around in the shadows, a skittering there and flicker of movement there. In all the time, it had not said a word to her, except for the occasional growl. When she attempted to leave it watched her, but made no movements to prevent escape. _It knows I can't leave._

"I demand you help me!" Run cried out. The creature, the man, the whatever-it-was, seemed to stop whatever it was doing and lunged forward a bony hand directly at her face. She never even had time to scream.

She felt something snap around her leg.

0o0o0o

"Sweet Kami." Neji quickly nudged Lee to keep his tone quiet. Team Gai felt a pang of sympathy for Sarura Bea. Tenten could already guess that had she not been in this condition she would have been quite beautiful. With her long flowing brown hair and soft smooth skin, she could have been mistaken for a model rather than a ninja.

However, her injuries told a tale of someone who went to hell and back. Bea's entire body was practically covered in bandages, blood spots scattered all over her wounds. Beside her bed was a variety of drips suspended from the ceiling ranging from blood to antibiotics to vitamin supplements The left side of her head was completely bandaged and her left arm ended at the elbow forming a stump. Every breath caused a small whimper to escape her lips, but she was currently on every pain killer imaginable.

"What happened?"

"Whatever or whomever got her did so when she was not looking. Her right eye suffered mild contusions while her left eye was completely removed. The left part of her skull has been fractured at multiple points. Her left arm has been severed at the elbow, judging from the rough edges it looks like it was almost _ripped_ off. She lost a lot of blood."

"What about these wounds on her body?" Neji gestured to the bloody splotches along Bea's body.

"Severe lacerations caused by bite marks."

"Bite marks?"

"Yes. Bite marks. The tracker division is trying to create a cast of the teeth for better clarification but the damage has made it difficult to get an accurate mould."

"Damage?" Neji glanced at the body wondering how much damage Bea has gone through.

"The wounds are infected with bacteria. The result is Necrotizing Fasciitis."

"The flesh eating disease?" Tenten raised her eyebrows. Talk about being unlucky, Necrotizing Fasciitis of all things. The bacteria not 'eat' the flesh per se but rather broke down the muscles and skin tissue by releasing toxins. The weapon master knew of a few people in ANBU who used it as a weapon. "Is she-?"

"We got to her in time. She's going to make it," Akuta sighed, "but her time as a ninja is over. Most of the superficial damage such as the skin and lower legs can be fixed, but she will never recover to one hundred percent."

"Can we talk to her?"

Akuta shook his head. "The doctors said she will be out of commission for the next couple weeks." Gai frowned at the news, the one person who could most likely identify who or what caused the injuries was unavailable.

"Where is Kodo-san?"

Akuta gestured down the hall. "Just follow the yelling. Unlike Bea, he is awake and very cranky."

Team Gai exited the hospital room and followed the path down the sterile corridor. Sure enough, they began to hear the sounds of someone yelling. "I don't care about your medical opinions you moron! Discharge me or I'll discharge myself!"

"I think we are approaching the right room." Neji mused.

"Where the fuck is Bae, you insufferable twat!" Team Gai focused on the door leading to the angry jounin, they could hear the sound of something expensive breaking.

"Kodo-san! Please lie down!" An exasperated nurse seemed desperate to contain her rowdy patient. "You could be suffering from the side effects of a concussion!"

"Concussion? CONCUSSION?! I'll give you a concussion if you don't let me out of this hospital!" Team Gai braced themselves as they opened the door. Thanks to Gai's quick reflexes he dodged a cup of water that was aimed at his head. "Get me Akuta-sotaicho! I want to get on the road ASAP!"

"Excuse me. You wouldn't happen to be Saitama Kodo-san?" Gai piqued is head in.

"Yeah. And who are you?" The Konoha shinobi had the opportunity to get a look at the Bakuton user. He sat on a plain hospital bed wearing nothing more than a white robe. Kodo was average sized, with smooth black hair almost like it was slicked down. Unlike Akuta, he did not seem relatively fit, in fact some would say he was overweight. However, looks can be deceiving, just ask anyone who wanted to comment on Chouji's size. Like the Akimichi heir, it was apparent Kodo had great power within him. Next to him was a young nurse, who looked tired and flustered trying to force him to stay in bed. She looked almost relieved at the distractions that entered the ward. "Can I help you?"

"Yes." Neji nodded. "We need to speak with Kodo-san for a moment."

"Well make it snappy." Kodo grunted. "I am getting out of this hospital soon. I don't have time for chit-chat."

"Y-you can't!" The nurse looked gobsmacked. "Let me get Akuta-sotaicho first." She ran quickly enough hoping to return with the one person who could get her patient under control.

"So what do you want?" Kodo grunted, as he looked for his clothes. "Judging from your attire, you aren't from around here."

"We are ninja from Konoha. We were tasked with trying to resolve the issue of missing people and ninja."

"Ha!" Kodo smirked. "Here's a tip, people go missing all the time. If it was not for the fact one of the people missing was the damiyo's daughter, we would not be involved."

"Really?" Gai raised a brow, they were certainly not told of that. He glanced at his colleagues who all had an equally stunned look on their faces. "Does Akuta-san know that?"

"I myself stumbled upon it by accident. I doubt Akuta-sotaicho knows."

"You were saying that people go missing all the time?"

"Oh yes." Kodo grimaced. "The people that went missing were in the Outlands; a very wild and uncivilised place. It is full of beasts, bandits, rogue ninjas and so on. If people go missing, it is their fault for being there in the first place."

"And the damiyo's daughter?" Neji frowned. "Why was she there?"

"The damiyo said something about wanting to acquaint her with the local rabble." Kodo reached for a cup of water and downed the entire glass. "When she grows up, this whole country will be hers."

"So what happened?"

"After the two platoons went missing, Bea and I were sent in. All the disappearances were near one of the expanding farming villages. The family's name was...I believe it was Kayuri."

"And?"

"That was interesting. We met some old lady who was babbling about some kind of vengeful forest spirit. We really did not care. However we did find a faint trail leading to the west."

"So you were in the valley west of Ishi trying to find the missing villagers and ninja. Did you find anything?"

"Did one better." Kodo voice took a grim tone. "We found the thing that took them."

"Can you tell us more about it?" Lee took out his patented notebook eager to take in whatever details the man offered.

"Not much. We found it..." Kodo squirmed. "No..._It_ found us about three kilometres from the border of _Tsuchi no Kuni_. It attacked us in the dead of night when we were trying to get some rest."

"Was it a bear, some kind of wolf?"

"Oh no." Kodo growled, he moved unsteadily to the cupboard and pulled out some freshly pressed ninja attire. "No it was humanoid. But it was small, like a midget or a child, bloody quick though. Strong sucker too."

He showed his upper arm to the team, they noticed a heavy bruise in the shape of hand as clear as day. "Grabbed me by the arm for several seconds. If it wasn't for Bae..." A pained look crossed his face and for the briefest moment Team Gai felt sympathy for the man.

"I always made fun of her as a chunin and jounin. Told her she should stay in the kitchen...she saved my life, or at least my arm." Koda scratched the material in his hands. "Have you seen her?"

"Yes." Tenten nodded.

Kodo's brief moment of weakness slowly contorted into rage. "Then you know why I am leaving. That thing started this shit; I'm going to finish it."

"You are not going anywhere." They turned to face a rather annoyed Akuta, behind her was the fretting nurse that had tried to calm the Bakuton user.

"But-"

"No buts Kodo." Akuta crossed his arms. "You are suffering from chakra exhaustion and damage to several internal organs. Don't make me sedate you." Kodo growled but slowly moved back to the bed.

"Akuta-sotaicho, did you know that one of the people missing was the damiyo's daughter?" Neji's eyes narrowed.

"What?" Akuta looked visibly taken aback. "That would explain the outside channel approach...friggin damiyo."

Gai turned to Neji whose byakugan was active. "He's telling the truth."

"What is her name?" Lee prepared to jot down any information that came his way.

"Her name is Kyiko Run." Akuta sighed. "She would be about nine or ten years old. She has no survival or ninja training."

"Well this may complicate things Akuta-sotaicho." Gai frowned "We can't guarantee that she will be alive or that we can save her."

"I'll handle the damiyo." Akuta's eyes narrowed. "You just find the thing that took our people."

"We'll head off then." Gai nodded, the team was just about to walk out.

"Hey..." The Konoha shinobi turned to face Kodo sitting on the bed. "So you're really going to go for it?"

"Yes!" Lee smiled. "We'll take this thing that attacked you down and avenge Rae-san and rescue Run-san."

"Good." Kodo pulled a small blank scroll from his bed sheets and began channelling his chakra into it. "That is exactly what I want to hear."

"Kodo," The nurse cried. "You can't-!"

"Relax honey." Kodo smirked. "I'm suffering from chakra exhaustion not chakra depletion." After a few seconds, red streams of chakra ingrained into the scroll and then subsided. "Here take this."

Tenten reached forward to pick it up gazing at the red marking and a small red dot at one of the end's of the scroll. "A _Bakuton_ scroll?!"

"You must be ANBU." Kodo smirked. "What you have there is enough power to level a small forest. Slamming the scroll down on the red dot will trigger a chain reaction creating a powerful explosion on that particular end."

"Why would you give us this?" Tenten raised a brow. Most Konoha ANBU have heard tales from veterans who had encountered Iwa shinobi holding _Bakuton _scrolls. They were created using the chakra of a very experienced _Bakuton _user. It was a 'break glass in case of emergency' technique, capable of inflicting massive controlled damage. It is very hard for a non-Iwa ninja to come by.

"I am not giving away any secrets; it will cease functioning in about five days." Kodo's smirk faded, his anger etched along his face. "But if you find it. If and when you find whoever or whatever did this, you use the scroll and say it was from me. You'll do that, won't you?"

The team stared in silence. "Of course."

0o0o0o

"W-what?" Run blinked in confusion, however the creature withdrew as quickly as he moved. She felt the monster quickly move across her injured leg, snap something on and then vanished.

She felt a smooth contraption tighten around her leg causing a painful burning sensation. But it was not agonising. She allowed her eyes to adjust to the darkness to focus on the strange implement.

"A leg brace?" She felt the smooth implement clasping around her leg with a strange firmness. It wrapped around her upper thigh all the way down to her ankle, a circular pivot at the knee joint granted her some additional mobility.

The creature felt something. What was it? Content? Happiness? It did not know and frankly did not care. Getting the Girl better was a priority. Fixing the leg, and preventing infection from setting was necessary.

"Oh Kami, what is this? Bone?" The Girl turned an unpleasant shade of green as she looked at the crutch like instrument with both fascination and horror. It did not understand the Girl's displeasure, but there would time for that later. If she could suppress its hunger again, then this could the first step to the freedom it so desperately craved. The freedom it needed so badly. If not...the creature shook its head.

This will succeed.

It has to.

0o0o0o

A/N: Next chapter is when Team Gai finally meet Run and the creature. Review and PM as always.


	6. Chapter 6

Hey guys. How have you been. Here is chapter 6. I hope you enjoy it.

I must say I am really getting into the swing of this story. I am glad you guys are enjoying it so far.

I hope it lives up to your expectations.

As usual I could not have done this without ABitterPill who assisted with brainstorming and beta work.

Enjoy!

Also for the other guys who follow my other works, don't worry they are not abandoned. I am just trying to figure them out, I would hate to disappoint you guys. This might be the last chapter until after Christmas. So with that in mind I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. See you in 2013!

_**Chapter 6: Contact  
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The creature watched the Girl with mild fascination. Sitting in its rickety wooden chair it waited for the thing it hated the most to come. For the first time since it could remember, it was actually looking forward to the hunger.

_...overcoming the hunger._

The creature's thoughts returned to the Girl, who was currently performing well with the metal brace it created. She had already begun to walk…well, more like hobble.

The creature would have helped, it genuinely would. But the Girl seemed...reluctant to accept its charity. She did not say it explicitly, but the screaming and the cursing were strong indications. What mattered was that the Girl was improving.

It felt impatient...or was it excitement? It got up allowing its legs to stretch, they were always tense. It made movement incredibly difficult if it lay prone for hours at a time.

"I'm hungry." The creature paused mid-step. The blue eyes met hers, a flash of intelligence and a hint of understanding. "I want something to eat."

_...to eat._

_Eat._

_Food._ The creature blinked. _Of course, they need to eat too._ The creature turned and stared into the darkness of his home, surely there was some spare food lying around...it blinked. _They do not eat what I...need to eat._

The creature frowned. What do people eat? The creature recalled a time when it saw two people, a man and a woman, sit around a campfire, they cooked a small rabbit. The creature found it interesting watching the two interacting with each other. The woman seemed to enjoy the company of the man and vice versa. Although the creature thought it was unusual when they started sucking on each other's face. They seemed to be enjoying themselves. The creature was content with simply watching, attempting to comprehend why they were removing their clothes. However, the creature grew cold…and got hungry...

They were the first to fall to the hunger. They weren't the last.

The creature shook away the guilt. Now was the time to focus. The creature's eyes returned to meet the Girl. Her complexion in hindsight was not healthy, she had not eaten for a long time, nearly a week.

_She must be hungry..._

Then a thought crossed its mind...there was the Farm. The Old Woman. Food...It was animal, a diet which the creature took no real 'pleasure' anymore. It just did not have the same...satisfaction as with people. Did not stop it from eating them on schedule, besides it felt...nice to not be feared. Hunting far away from the Old Woman's Farm was the least it could so. At least as long as the creature could.

_But the Girl could change all that. I doubt she would object to eating animal._

The creature got up and walked to the main entrance.

"Wait! I'm starving!" The Girl cried. "Where are you going?!" The creature wanted to explain, but its ability to communicate with people was...not so good. It let out a small croak before it left. Hopefully the message it would return would get across...that was doubtful though.

It crawled through the dark cavern slowly its bony fingers scraped against the dark walls, heading towards the entrance to its home. With a grunt, it left the sanctuary of the cave. Almost immediately the creature was bathed in the familiar twilight of evening.

The creature growled as it felt the evening breeze run across its skin and hair. The wind was very uncomfortable, it made the creature feel exposed. The creature tightened its grip around the tarp that it wore like a protective cloak, pulling it closer to its body. The creature shifted as the tarp shielded it from the breeze.

_Okay Girl,_ the creature mused as it stepped away from its home into the desolate forest, _I'll get you something to eat._

_You better be worth it._

0o0o0o

Neji was adamant that they retrace Kodo's steps. Logic was that it seemed unlikely that the creature just wandered upon them by accident. They must have gotten too close to wherever it hides. It took a few hours to reach the outskirts and about forty minutes to find the Kayuri farm.

It was one of the larger areas in the outskirts, almost twenty square hectares. The farm was largely cattle and poultry, however there was other forms of livestock. However the perimeter contained significant crops including potatoes and a variety of herbs and spices that Team Gai had never smelt before.

"Hopefully we can shed some light on the matter." Gai nodded to Lee who promptly knocked on the wooden door. After a brief moment of silence the door was answered by a man in his thirties, almost every part of him was stained with dirt.

"Kayuri-san?" Neji blinked.

"That's me." The man pulled a stained cloth out of the back of his work clothes wiping his hands. Personally, Tenten thought it did little to help. "I presume you are shinobi?"

"We are." Gai bowed in greeting. "I was hoping you could help us."

"Are you following up on the ones who came through here a little over a week ago?" Kayuri's eyes slowly looked over the members of Team Gai, whatever he was looking for, he was clearly not impressed.

"We are, I was hoping you could tell us what you told them." Gai attempted to put on his 'friendly but professional' face. "May we come in?"

"No you can't." Kayuri's tone was even and devoid of any sort of malice. He was more dismissive if anything else. "We can talk out here." He stepped out of the house and closed the door. The farmer turned to stare at Gai, who was a good foot taller than him. Kayrui quickly sidestepped the team walked and down the porch, heading towards a paddock holding sheep.

"Walk with me." It was not a suggestion. The team, left with little choice, followed. After what was a minute of silence, the farmer spoke. "I thought this would all be in a report somewhere. I am not interested in repeating myself."

"They were a recon team, they don't usually take notes." Gai nodded. "Besides, anything that they said was hearsay, we would rather hear it from the source." Kayrui grunted but said little else. He leaned over the fence of the paddock gazing at the sizable flock of sheep who were preoccupying themselves eating. After a brief pause his frown deepened, almost as if in anger.

"What do you want to know?"

"Well what you told them in essence." Neji pondered for a moment. "Tell us when it started? Was the creature here before you settled here?"

"...no." Kayuri sighed, he moved onto the next paddock, this one contained cows. "We came here about five years ago. This thing showed up afterward, a little over two years ago though it may have been longer. I guess this thing has been around for at least six months before that."

"What makes you say that?" Neji queried.

"That forest was like any other forest, and there was a massive amount of deforestation occurring for logging and territorial expansion." Kayuri pointed towards the forest in the distance. "But somewhere along the line the birds stopped singing, and the crickets stopped chirping. The place grew awfully quiet." Kayuri stared at the cattle paddock and after a few brief moments he was moving slowly around the house. " When the attacks started two years ago, it started off small, an occasional fowl here, a lamb there. We initially thought it was kids or bandits."

Kayuri paused as he turned to face his visitors. "About six to eight months later, the deaths started escalating. It started with a cow, then a bull, then three, then entire flocks. Many livestock were killed or went missing." Kayuri sighed. "We live on the outskirts shinobi, our livestock, our farm is our livelihood. We did what we could, we organised mass hunts to try and find and kill this thing. However, I think all we did was piss it off."

"In what way?" Lee raised a brow.

"It started hunting people." Kayuri's face turned a slightly pale colour. "The Matsuka's about eight farms over were friends; they came with my family from the old country. Five people were killed, torn to pieces, three more disappeared and are presumed dead."

"There were over eighty operating farms of various shapes and sizes scattered throughout the outskirts. Some farms are smaller than my property, others are larger. Some are further into the outskirts, others are closer to the main village." Kayuri mused as they walked around to the front of the house. "Now there are less than twenty. Those that were not killed simply abandoned the properties."

"Why not you?"

"My family and I have given too much to pick up and leave." Kayuri frowned as he sat down on the front porch. "Besides this thing never bothered us."

"Why not?" Tenten's eyes narrowed, as ANBU you do not trust anyone.

"I don't know." Kayuri grumbled. "And I don't care, far as I know it is just some wild beast."

"It's not some rabid animal!" Kayuri rolled his eyes at the outburst. Team Gai glanced up to the door as it opened to reveal a very old hunched woman. She held a cane made of oak and wore very thick glasses which greatly distorted her eyes.

"Ugh...great." Kayuri pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. "It's too early for this mumbo-jumbo."

"Don't you disrespect me boy, my methods are the reason we are safe!" The old woman, despite her age, was spry if nothing else. "This is not some rabid bear. This is a kodama!"

"Mom, they don't want to hear this." Kayuri stood up aggressively. "On another note, did you take one of the sheep again?"

"Yes I did." The woman grinned triumphantly. "And because of that we are safe for now."

"Dammit, mom!" Kayuri through his dirty hand cloth to the ground in rage. "You can't mess with the livestock!"

"Son, I love you, but you are so thick." The woman scowled. "Would you rather we be dead?"

"Other farmers are still here and they have not had to resort to animal sacrifices!"

"Thanks to my sacrifices, those farmers can sleep safe!" The woman waved her cane with the ferocity of a swordfighter. "And if the kodama returns they will pay for their foolishness."

"I'm sorry to interrupt..." Gai did his best to be as pleasant as possible. "But did you say 'animal sacrifice'?"

"You brought this on yourself." Kayuri threw his hands in the air in defeat. "I am going to deal with the crops, have fun listening to crazy witchcraft stories."

"What did you say?!" The old woman bellowed. However Kayuri merely left shaking his head.

"I am sorry obāsan, but could you tell us about these animal sacrifices?" Neji expressed his interest, it was the first time he heard of the practice outside of the history books. "Isn't that a little...old fashioned?"

"Old fashioned is sometimes the best course of action _child_," The old woman smiled to reveal crooked teeth, "when you grow up you will understand." Lee and Tenten savoured the look of disapproval on Neji's face at being called a child, but said nothing.

"How is an animal sacrifice keeping a beast at bay?"

"Beast? Beast?!" The old woman cackled, reminding Lee of the creepy witch stories he was told as a child. "This is not a beast, it is a kodoma."

"A what?"

"Well if not a kodoma then it definitely follows the same rules as one." The old woman mused as if considering an afterthought.

"What is a kodoma?"

"Kodama: a forest spirit." The old woman seemed giddy at being able to tell some stories. "They reside within the trees, the embodiment of the forests. Their existence is defined by growing forests and can live for centuries, if not millennia. If you cut down one of their trees, great misfortune will occur to those nearby."

"So..." Tenten struggled to make sense. "You think the creature is some sort of ancient forest spirit awakened because someone cut down a tree?"

"Oh no, this is not that act of one blessed with centuries of wisdom; this is the act of a child." The woman paused, but seeing as no one understood she elaborated. "Old kodama understand their place in nature and act though it. Old kodoma bring misfortune in the shape of bad harvests, dry winters, floods and the such. Newborn kodoma, as is the case with this one, act by themselves. They are violent, temperamental and wrathful."

"Originally, the best way to avert a kodama's wrath was to plant a new tree or make some sort of mass offering of vegetables, sometimes even just leaving the area." The old woman held up a bony finger. "However, a general way to subvert the wrath of any spirit is through payment of blood. Think of it as a 'catch all' clause for creatures of a…supernatural nature."

"So that is the reason for the animal sacrifices." Lee commented.

"Exactly." The woman nodded grimly. "Every three days I usually take an old sheep or a couple of roosters and tie them at the edge of the property near the forest. They are always gone by early morning. In return for my offering it leaves the family alone."

"Huh..." The team seemed at a loss for words. The old woman merely laughed.

"I know it may seem like the ramblings of an old woman, but so far I have yet to be proven wrong." The woman's smile lessened. "Are you planning on going after it?"

"That's the idea." Lee smiled in excitement.

"Whatever weaponry or techniques you have at your disposal, I assure you it won't be enough." The matriarch slowly looked over the ninja, looking over whatever arsenal she could observe. "Kodama or note, it is a spirit… and spirits are not easy to kill, I assure you."

"Can you think of any methods?" Lee pulled out his notepad to take notes.

"Kodamas' are supernatural in nature, generally you would need some form of supernatural weapon. However I have never seen that method preformed. It is possible you just need to annihilate it physically." The old woman's frown deepened. "Another alternative is that you burn the forest down. In all instances you pray the kodoma is no longer alive and if it is, it does not follow you."

"And if it does?" Lee raised a brow.

"I presume you met the last ninja's that encountered it." The old woman grunted. The team nodded slowly reflecting on the horrible injuries inflicted. "Then you know what will happen."

"Do you know where the previous team went?" Tenten struggled to break the silence. The old woman nodded and gave them direction further west, taking them further into the outskirts. "The last I saw them was they were investigating where I tie the sacrifices up."

"Thank you ma'am." Gai gave a small bow. The team did not say goodbye to Kayuri, who was somewhere on the other side of the house. As they slowly made for the forest they shared a look of disbelief and suspicion. "Well team...what do you think?"

"It's nonsense."Neji's scowl became very pronounced. "Her son does not seem in the least bit convinced."

"You're just mad because she called you a kid." Tenten let out a snigger.

"A '_child_' actually." Neji let out a menacing 'hmph'.

"I don't know Gai-sensei," Lee reviewed the notes he took "she seems convincing."

"I have read about kodama's in mythology, but for them to be real..." Tenten seemed incredulous. "But she certainly seemed to believe what she was talking about."

"Chalk it up to senility and leave it at that." Neji huffed. "Let's just head to this sacrifice post."

0o0o0o

The creature felt the closest it did to frustration as it stared at the fluffy white animal which was screeching something awful. Normally the creature would eat it right then and there. But the Girl...does she need it fresh? If not, how long does it take for meat to go off? Can the Girl eat rotten meat? The creature never had this problem before. Flesh was flesh.

_People cook it...I don't know how to make fire._ The creature growled, this was more complicated than it had initially thought.

"I think this is it." A deep male voice. Strangely enthusiastic.

"It is the only place that has one sheep tied to a pole in the middle of nowh-who is that?" Another male voice only it sounded more downtrodden and jaded.

The creature froze...People. They had snuck up behind the creature, and it did not notice them until they were right on top of it. The creature could do little to express its surprise except emit a small choking sound. It did not need to turn around to know everything about these...unwelcome intruders. Their scent carried through the air carrying a variety of information undetectable to all but the animals.

There were four of them. Three male, one female. Two males and the female were around fifteen to sixteen years old. The other male was older, most likely twenty-eight to thirty. They were all in peak physical condition. _Very peak_ physical condition.

Just like Smooth Brown Woman and Explosion Man.

_Hunters..._This is not what it needed, not when the Girl was starving.

The creature felt the cool breeze break through its protective garment, the sense of cold air invaded its skin and body….

Then the hunger hit.

_No..._

The hunger came like a quiet growl somewhere in the depths of its core. Like a wave of need. Then it rose like flood engulfing the senses. The air around almost made its throat and skin feel like it was against ice.

"Hey you...What are you doing here?" The creature barely heard a word, its ears were ringing, its throat was drier than a desert in summer and its stomach was howling in desperation.

And it felt so cold….almost arctic. It felt its bones begin to shiver.

"I asked you a question buddy."

The creature tried to fight the hunger….the desire, it always did. However, the creature could not remember the last time it won against it. A memory long forgotten; a mere shadow. Then the Girl came along and opportunities not seen in a long time returned.

The opportunity to win again. To stop hating itself whenever it had to feed.

_One whole week of control...and now._ The creature growled.

"Turn around when I am talking to you." The creature felt a firm grip on its shoulder. A human grip. A _warm_ grip. A grip belonging to hand that had _hot_ blood flowing though the veins.

_Now..._A flash of something resembling guilt crossed its mind. The creature felt itself fade. There is was little point fighting the instinctive need to feed when the Girl was not around.

"...hey..." The voice of the intruders began to fade in a hiss of static, leaving a small part of the creature wondering what was being said.

The hunger opened its longing jaws and with a cracking neck it bit down on the hand that dared enter its striking distance.

Hard.

There was a scream…

0o0o0o

It was a longer walk than initially expected, dusk was fast approaching.

"Are we there yet?" Tenten sighed to no one in particular. They had left the Kayuri farm quite some time ago, since then there has been nothing but knee high grass and the occasional tree. The forest was growing increasingly dense.

Rock Lee put on his childish grin. "Since when do ANBU complain?"

Tenten pouted. "We complain all the time. Just not on duty."

"Hmph." Neji smirked. "I find you not complaining to be a completely alien concept. ANBU or not."

"Hey!" Tenten was about to object. When a small clearing appeared amongst the dense woodland, it was rather sizable and showed evidence of being recently cut. At the very centre of the clearing was a small post about a metre and a half in length. Attached to the small post was a sheep a rather large one.

"I think this is it." Lee sounded like he just discovered the meaning of life.

"It is the only place that has one sheep tied to a pole in the middle of nowh-who is that?" Neji's eyes immediately narrowed in on the stranger. He was more shocked than suspicious, he did not notice him before. That had never happened before. Ever. The Hyuuga's first thought was to get his eyes checked the moment he got back home.

The figure was short, smaller than anyone on the team. The team all stopped and stared at the small child like figure who was standing there blankly, hands by his sides.

"Hey you..." Tenten called out. "What are you doing here?" The figure stood like a soldier on parade, the only recognition was the slight stiffening of back muscles. Apart from that, it looked like it ignored her completely.

"I asked you a question buddy." Tenten's face reddened in frustration. _I did not get to where I am to be ignored by some...child. _She broke from her team and calmly approached the small child with an impatient stride.

"Turn around when I am talking to you." She placed a firm grip on the child's shoulder. Tenten's first thought was this kid was malnourished, all she could feel under the tarp was bone, not the feeling of muscle. _What an unhealthy child..._ "Are you listening to me? Hey!"

What happened next was too fast to see without foresight.

A demonic mouth twisted with the eerie cracking of bones and bit down of her hand.

Hard.

It took a second for the pain to reach Tenten's brain. And let out a shriek of agony. "GET HIM OFF ME!"

The team sprang into action. Neji was the first to move. _Byakugan_. He surged forward like a homing missile, his fingers like daggers. He struck the figure precisely above the cheekbone. The ingrained reflexology kicked in, the jaw snapped open and was promptly dislocated.

Tenten gasped for air, she cradled the hand which bled profusely. _This is just embarrassing..._The pain was blinding, almost paralysing. She lost her balance and began to fall. _This is not worthy of ANBU._

She felt the wiry arms of Neji wrap around her, preventing her from falling. It was nice to be in such a comforting embrace..._Oh kami, snap out of Tenten. _

Click...click...Crunch. Tenten still maintained enough faculties to know when someone was resetting their own jaw.

The figure turned to reveal its maw, his face obscured in shadow. His lips were practically decayed and non-existent giving an evil grin revealing sharpened teeth and blackened gums.

"_Konoha Senp__ū__!_"Rock Lee's trademark kick sent the figure flying several meters landing in heap without so much as a grunt.

"Are you okay Tenten?!" Lee kept his eyes on his target. Tenten gazed at her bleeding hand, which Neji was quickly wrapping up with bandages. "Wait..." Neji looked up to stare at a scrutinising Tenten, observing the open wound. Although the wound was still bleeding it no longer had any pain.

_That is weird..._

Then she noticed the slight discolouration around the bite mark, blackened skin with purple wounds.

_Necrosis...impossible how could it...set in...that...quickly._

She recalled the time her meeting in Sarura Bea's room. _"The wounds are infected with bacteria. The result is Necrotizing Fasciitis."_

"It's him." Tenten looked up. "He's the one."

"Well if that is the case..." Lee turned to his team, a determined smile on his face. "Then we shall defeat him!"

Although Gai could not help but smile at his passionate pupil, he had to focus on the here and now.

"Uhh...Lee you might want to focus on your opponent."

Click. Clickclickclickclickclickcli ckclickclick. Snap.

Lee cringed as he turned to face his opponent, the man...or creature that his within the folds of the tarp. It planted the spindly legs firmly on the ground, the audible crack of its spine as lifted itself off the ground with unnatural grace, like a coiling viper. Its arms withdrew from obscurity to reveal hands.

Only they weren't hands. Or they used to be. The hands were pale and mottled, and the tips of each finger and thumb were scraped and mottled to the very bone. The exposed distal phalanges were sharpened to the point where what was once human hands, now were claws or talons. The cheeks pulled even further back making the already exposed grin even more demonic.

"W-what is he?" Lee looked slightly taken aback. "He took my kick like it was nothing."

"It does not matter." Gai reached into his pouch and pulled out a pair of kunai. "What matters is that he looks angry. Tenten..."

"I'm fine..." She looked at her newly bandaged hand, however blood was already seeping through the garments. Neji gazed at the wound, "The wound won't close. Tenten do you have any-"

"I didn't bring the advanced medical kit with me." Tenten felt like an amateur. "I didn't think I would need it." Her eyes settled on the thing that bit her. _Oh you will pay for this..._

"I'll be fine." The young ANBU's sudden determination made her rise to her feet, weapons ready.

Neji frowned. "She'll need medical help soon."

"We'll be done before that."

0o0o0o

A/N - I spent alot of time trying to determine whether or not the hunger can be conquered or even how the hunger comes. Or how Naruto will deal with it if (and when) he ever comes back. I have my own view but like I said, I like interactivity. Share your own thoughts if you desire.

I hope you guys enjoyed the story.

Review and PM as always!


	7. Chapter 7

Hey all, Happy belated New Year. I hope you are all doing well. Well here is the first chapter of the year. I hope you all enjoy it.

Thanks to ABitterPill, my beta.

Shout out to narutorastard.

_**Techniques**_

_Konoha Nidai Sempuu – Double leaf whirlwind_

_Konoha Gōriki Senpū – Leaf strong whirlwind_

_Hakke Rokujūyon Shō – Eight Trigrams Sixty Four Palm_

_Hakke Hyaku Nijūhachi Shō - Eight Trigrams One Hundred Twenty Eight Palm_

_Hakke Hasangeki - Eight Trigrams Mountain Crusher_

_Hakke Chakra_ _Nadare - Eight Trigrams Chakra Avalanche_

_Seimon - Gate of Life (3__rd__ Gate)_

_Shōmon. - Gate of Pain (4__th__ Gate)_

_Tomon - Gate of Limit (5__th__ Gate)_

_Keimon - Gate of View (6__th__ Gate)_

_Jixyuuden Buru - Charging Bull_

_Hirudora_.- _Daytime Tiger_

_Nimpo: Fūjikome no jutsu- Ninja Art: Basic sealing jutsu_

**Chapter 7: Contact**

The grassy field went eerily quiet, not even the wind blew. As Team Gai faced Tenten's attacker, most likely the very reason they were summoned in the first place, a variety of emotions were shared.

Lee, the noble blue beast of Konoha, was almost jittery with excitement. If it was not for Gai, he probably would have charged in immediately. Lee always had a thing of serving justice. Curb stomping this thing that had killed so many people and hurt Tenten seemed to be the best way to accomplish his goal.

Tenten was filled with anger and rage. This thing had showed her up, confronted her with her own weakness, and now had infected her hand. Tenten recalled Sarura Bea who lay in a bed, her life officially over before it began because she had the bad luck to run across a thing that eats people. However, the final thought was on her promise to Kodo...the bakuton scroll. It would seem rather unprofessional not to fulfill a promise.

Neji was experiencing confusion and worry. With Tenten having been dealt the 'honour' of suffering the first strike, she now had an open wound that would not close. He already placed an extra layer of bandages around her hand, but already he could see the dressings turn red. His confusion was due to staring at their opponent with an active _byakugan_, and what he saw troubled him. His vision allowed him to see in a whole other spectrum. What Neji saw, he had never encountered anything like it.

Gai was the very definition of caution. Although his enthusiasm was on par with Lee, it was restrained in favour of reasoning. This boy-whatever-he-was took down two whole teams and two high ranking jounin, there must be a trick up his/its sleeve. Otherwise they would not be here.

"Guys," the team's ears perked up, "this thing does not have a proper chakra network. It looks disjointed, incomplete and...fuzzy." Neji tried to think of a better word but in this situation his mind failed him. The chakra flickered like a fluorescent light bulb, giving detailed but sporadic indications of their opponent. Practically all the muscles in the body were torn and mutilated. Chakra was rerouted in places that were completely unexpected. For example, there seemed to be an absence of several vital organs, and the lower digestive network was completely devoid of activity. "His body has undergone significant heavy trauma. I don't know how he can even stand."

"It doesn't matter. We'll take him down!" Lee firmed his fighting stance. "We have to save Run-san!"

"Okay..." Gai mulled over a quick scenario. "Tenten get in the back, use your range to your advantage and stick to your undamaged hand. Neji you-"

Their opponent charged like a rampaging beast.

"Lee and I will stall him!" Gai and his young doppelganger moved with perfect coordination; Lee aimed for the head while his master aimed for the lower part of the chest.

"_Konoha Nidai Sempuu!_" With an exponential increase in force their opponent was again knocked back, only this time much farther. They could hear the sound of broken branches and bones. Dust and dislodged grass scattered the air.

"Come on! It could get away!" Lee wore his classic 'nice guy' smile. However, Neji who could see all merely frowned in anticipation.

"I wouldn't worry about _that_." Lee's query as to why not was quickly answered when their opponent hurled itself at them again, possibly even faster than before. Its steps were nimble and flexible, almost like it was leaping from step to step.

_Impossible...that should have broken several bones._

They readied a second volley, only this time all of Team Gai's training kicked in. Tenten who was farthest away unleashed a small volley of kunai. They impacted against the garbed creature's chest or promptly bounced off with no effect.

Gai's instincts immediately instructed him to deliver a quick jab straight into the opponents face, try and get him to stall if only briefly for both Neji and Lee to deliver another blow. So it was to the sensei's great surprise when his jab not only had zero affect on their opponent but the brazen maw that passed for its mouth promptly snapped shut chipping at this knuckles.

"Team he is not going down easy!" Gai took a brief look at his knuckles, strange black and purple markings covered his skin. _This unyouthful brute tried to bite me._ The brazen jounin dodged several very obvious swipes with little difficulty. It seemed that the creature had very little in terms of technique. Its movements were sloppy and grandiose something you would expect from a feral fighter or drunken brawler.

The creature shifted its weight from side to side rhythmically throwing a wild haymaker of claw. Gai proceeded to dodge every hit until the creature tried to attack his throat like a leaping tiger. Ducking under his opponent he delivered an uppercut into the creature's stomach sending it briefly airborne. Tenten with her uninjured hand launched a small barrage of kunai directly at the creature, who took the attack without so much as a grunt. When it landed on the ground with its own two feet, it immediately readjusted its legs and shifted to its new target; Neji.

Neji spun with all the grace as a juken user could, dodging the swipes and attempted grabs which clawed at his robes. He leapt back and repositioned himself into a low stance placing his arms at wide angles.

"_Hakke Rokujūyon Shō!"_ Surging forward he ducked under the creature's guard and began what he thought would have been the end of the line for their opponent.

"Two palm!" Neji unleashed his devastating combo into this strange opponent. "Four palm!" The creature briefly paused, likely stunned. "Sixteen palm! Thirty-two palm!" It fell several steps back but the genius did not let up for a microsecond. "Sixty-four palm!" The blinding attacks moved as such speed that a novice would have mistaken it for one strike. The creature faltered a few steps backward and fell to the ground like a falling statue.

"Well done Neji!" Gai cheered.

"Dammit! I wanted to have shot at him!" Tenten was relieved it was over, but she wished she had the chance to avenge her honour.

"Unadvisable, Tenten. You don't look well." Lee's brows furrowed in concern.

Tenten waved her good hand dismissively. "Pfft, you're one to talk."

The Huyga took a moment to heave sigh.

Only to have their opponent deliver a good, solid punch to his nose.

If Neji was shocked then his teammates were mortified. Everyone in Team Gai has taken a solid shot to the nose. Except Neji the Hyuga Genius. At least until now. If it was not for the fact that the creature tried to grab his throat in the process, it might have almost been comical.

On reflex, Neji parried the opponent's arms and delivered palm at both the solarplex and face. It took Neji less than a second to realise he might as well have been hurling harsh insults at it. He preformed several backflips well out of the creatures reach and landed next to his former sensei. "No effect." He mumbled as he attempted to wipe the blood coming out of his nose. "I didn't see it coming."

"What do you mean no effect, Neji?!" Lee was easily the most dumbfounded by Neji's simple analysis. "And 'didn't see it coming'? Seriously?"

"I mean..." Neji groaned as he reset his nose, "...my strikes are not altering its chakra flow. It didn't even have to perform any form of chakra pulse or remedial therapy...it just got back up. It seems obvious that Jūken is going to be next to useless with this...thing" The whole team cringed as the creature stood back up and let off a rather loud and eerie crack of its neck.

"As for 'not seeing it coming' well..." Neji grunted, "my _Byakugan _works off detecting chakra and nerve impulses allowing me accurately predict movements. His chakra system is not normal and it is movements are not being telegraphed in a way that I can detect... What is it?"

The team's regroup was interrupted when they saw the creature leap up into the air and attempted to land on Neji's head. It seemed apparent that their opponent took the clear-eyed jounin's assault very personally. A quick series of back steps moved Neji out of range. However, instead of making a beeline for the Hyūga it shifted its footing to face its closest opponent; 'Konoha's Green Beast' Maito Gai.

"Whatever it is, it's not giving a us a break." Gai dodged the creatures kick to its side only to feel its talon like grip dig into his shoulder. For some reason, a strange sense of light-headedness over came over him "Ugh..."

The creature had an opening right for the sensei's pulsating throat, and it took it.

"Get away from him!" Tenten hurled several more kunai and shuriken directly into their attacker's back which made it pause and stare at the strange impaling objects with mild curiosity.

"How is he so durable?!" Tenten's eyes widened in surprise. The creature growled unpleasantly before resuming its attention on the injured Gai. Gai, who was having trouble believing his present condition, could barely move with the talon embedded deep into his upper chest, he could feel the dagger like fingers working deeper into his muscles paralysing him. Despite Gai's condition he could just feel the bony digits scrape against his collarbone...

_Dammit..._

"_Seimon! Konoha Gōriki Senpū!"_ Lee's voice was the last thing anybody heard, before the creature simply vanished like a gunshot zipping through the treeline. In its place was a rather a rather worked up and heavily powered chunin with bushy eyebrows. "Gai-sensei are you alright?"

"I'm okay." Gai slurred. "Some kind of poison?" Neji leaned his blood stained face closer to Gai's body. He glanced at the grazed fist and his clawed upper torso. He could see a ugly purple blotch slowly mix with his mentor's bright blue chakra in turn slowly spreading the unpleasant looking infection.

"There is some kind of bacterium in your blood, mixing with your chakra. How is it moving so quickly through the blood?" Neji's frown became more pronounced as he ran their tactical situation through his brain. Currently, two members were suffering moderate to severe injuries. Tenten, the long distance weapons expert was down to one good hand and the necrosis was spreading unnaturally quick already engulfing half her hand including her thumb and forefinger. Gai's bruised knuckles had turned an unpleasant yet eerily familiar black colour, but his upper torso had received some kind of infection in his upper torso that was clearly not necrotic.

_If he bites you, you get necrosis. If he scratches you, you get incapacitated?_ Neji unconsciously rubbed his still sore nose. However, considering the speed at which the symptoms hit if he had not felt anything else then he was safe...at least for now.

Gai's miniature clone ran to his mentor's aid. "Gai-sensei! Are you alright?!" Gai responded with a groan, like was in some kind of drunken stupor. This was so unlike their 'youthful' master; he was already out of breath.

_Which doesn't make any sense..._Neji thought. He immediately noticed his own elevated heart rate and breathing. _Come to think of it, I'm out of breath too._ Neji turned to see Lee and Tenten and sure enough they looked exhausted, almost like they had just spent the afternoon undergoing one of Gai's patented insane training regimes.

_What is going on? _The Hyuga glanced at where the creature was sent flying and sure enough, it was standing back up and walking back out through the tree line although with a noticeable limp. His eyes zoomed in as far as he could go and he paid close attention to the disjointed chakra network.

And specifically the chakra itself. To the layman, chakra normally looks the same colour. However to a Hyūga, chakra is as unique as the individual it belongs to. The problem was that their opponent's chakra did not carry one signature but several, and there was something familiar about the occasional colour that surfaced in the foreign opponent. Specifically, that of Tenten, Gai, Lee and himself.

It took less than a second for Neji to reach a conclusion.

"He is a chakra absorber."

"What?" Tenten blanched.

"He is a chakra absorber." Neji muttered. "And by the way we are feeling, a very powerful one. I can see traces of our own chakra in his body. He is sucking the very chakra out of the very air and us."

"That is why we are tired."

"Tenten," Neji ordered, "take care of yourself and Gai-sensei with our medkits. Lee, come with me, we have to finish this away from our comrades."

"Yes!" Lee and Neji immediately pulled out their own first aid supplies and left them next to their injured sensei. Their opponent seemed to anticipate what was happening as it stayed where it was while the two relatively uninjured members of Team Gai approached it with caution. Neji pulled out a pair of small brown soldier pills, handing one to Lee and biting down on his own.

"We need to be fresh as possible." Neji formulated under his breath. "I will distract him and hit him as hard as possible. But this is just a stall. I need you to build up as much chakra as possible in order to deliver a killing blow. We can't afford to delay any longer, if we keep this up we will lose more chakra and be absolutely useless. You're advanced taijutsu should bring him down."

"Really?" Lee could not help at smile at the implied comment.

"Gai is not well and Tenten will require urgent medical attention soon." Neji glanced at his colleague. "As for me, I am skilled at taking down humans, but this is not an ordinary human, if it is human at all."

"Okay, I'll use my new technique." Lee gave a smirk, a combination between determination and excitement. He never got a chance to use an experimental technique in combat.

"You're new-? Fine. Do whatever you have to. Just make sure it takes him down." Neji's _byakugan_ focused in on his opponent as it advanced on them. "It took only a matter of minutes to drain us to about sixty percent, we won't have another chance."

"I'm ready when you are." Lee nodded.

"Good. Let me know when you are ready. I'll give you an opening." Neji sprinted to his opponent arms in a high guard. Lee closed his eyes and began his physical preparation.

_Shōmon._

0o0o0o

Neji dashed forward, low to the ground, like a wolf. Just before he reached the creatures reach, he leaped to his right while hurling several shuriken directly at his opponents head. He might as well been throwing flowers at him. The creature shrugged off the hit and tracked Neji to where he was going to land, mouth open.

When Neji landed the creature was less than a metre from his face. Neji did not even hesitate.

"_Hakke Hasangeki!_" Chakra formed out from his open palms like a grey hurricane, it instantly formed what could almost be described as a tidal wave of chakra and damage. It quickly engulfed his opponent in a massive explosion. Neji could barely make out the outline of creature in the rubble, even with his gifted eyes. Hesitant about what to happen, he took several steps back.

With a start the smoke parted to reveal sharp teeth and blackened gums.

_Shit..._ Neji prepared an exceptionally low guard, his hair just touching the ground. _I need to buy more time._

"_Hakke Hyaku Nijūhachi Shō._" Again he spun under the opponent guard tapping him in the crucial vital points.

"Two strikes." The creature grunted. Neji felt some satisfaction from hurting this...thing.

"Four-WHAT?!" Neji's satisfaction went immediately out the window. The creature caught both of his hands mid-strike. The Hyuga genius could not help but think that the creature was laughing at him; it was not going to fall for that trick as second time. The iron like grip wrapped so tight around his fingers he was certain they would break if it wanted to. To Neji's horror, his active _byakugan_ revealed his opponents 'gift'.

He could see the chakra being drawn out of his fingers and into his opponents. He felt a very painful burning sensation as he saw his own blood trickle out of his fingernails and crawl up the creatures hands and into its hidden arms.

Neji fell back taking the creature with him, and after digging a foot into its gut attempted to launch the creature over him and dislodge its grip.

Only it did not do that. In fact it held on so tight that sudden jerk from the change in axis, resulted in the creature breaking three fingers in Neji's right hands. The Hyuga desperately tried to shift his hips around so he could get a better advantage on his feet, but the opponent was for more quick. It immediately got back up dragging Neji to his feet. Neji could not help but feel some sense of urgency as the creature held his hands preventing him from striking. On instinct he slammed his heel hard against the creature's foot.

Nothing.

_Shit..._

The creature, unperturbed, readjusted its grip so that Neji's broken fingers were firmly revealed.

It proceeded to bring the helpless digits closer to its mouth. The urgency quickly turned into panic. With that in mind, Neji decided to hell with saving his chakra.

"_Hakke Chakra_..." For the briefest moment the creature paused as a small ball of bright blue chakra formed at the tip of each of his fingers. They were shaped like tear drops and had serene almost hypnotising glow. "..._Nadare_."

The small blue orbs on each fingertip discharged. What was emitted could only be described as firing a cannon point blank. The resultant explosion engulfed Neji, the creature and about ten meters of surrounding area.

"NEJI!" Lee cried. For the briefest moment, Gai's apprentice dared to presume the worst.The Hyuga genius leapt out of the smoke landing a few meters in front of where Lee was standing.

_Thank Kami..._ Lee breathed in a sigh of relief. Toned ninja closed his eyes as he opened another chakra gate. _Tomon._

"Dammit Lee are you almost ready?" Neji struggled to keep his voice flat and even. "I can't hold out for long." He grunted as he reset his fingers.

"I'm almost there."

The creature leapt out of the explosion landing in front of them, albeit one of his arms was missing from the shoulder down, the tarp that it covered itself with was on _fire_...and it barely let out a whimper. It stood up its clothing and skin ablaze as if nothing was happening. It lurched forward, its reaming arm outstretched for Neji's neck.

"_Hakke. Chakra! NADARE!_" Neji bellowed. The small droplets of chakra reappeared on his fingertips, this time they emitted a small hum, like it was singing. The discharge was even stronger than previous. The Hyuga's technique engulfed his vision up to his peripheral. However just before it hit the target, Neji's eyes widened. This time was different; for the creature noticed the blue orbs and decided to try and _dodge_; it was not going to fall for it again.

With the amount of chakra that was released, Neji could barely make out his opponent. He certainly hoped it was damaged, his chakra supply was almost depleted. When the rubble cleared, the on fire opponent looked like it was caught half falling, bending itself backwards at the most unnatural angle, reminding Neji again of a coiled snake.

"Lee...Help!" Neji took a step back. The creature lunged forward. "Now!"

_Keimon. JIXYUUDEN BURU!_"

0o0o0o

Neji felt was as if he was surrounded by a hurricane. Wind flew around and past him at break neck speed. The ground cracked, sending dirt, grass and stone scattering into the air. Neji could not help but shut his eyes, but his _byakugan_ revealed the source of the explosion.

Rock Lee blasted past Neji as a blur, his outline barely visible. Lee headed towards the seemingly unstoppable creature, both fists at the ready, his legs locked into a horse riding stance with his knees slightly bent inwards. The tornado like wind seemed almost dancing in tango with Lee's hands. With a double punch he slammed both fists into the creature's sternum.

The effect was instantaneous.

The hurricane that surrounded Neji channelled into Lee's fists. The fire that engulfed the creature was quickly extinguished and the might of Lee's attack made the earth shudder. On impact the creature tilted its head, almost as if it was confused.

The creature detonated in an explosion of blood. The flesh was flayed off its bones and the bones shattered at hundreds of different locations. Their opponent was blown back, its remains desecrating the brown soil in an unnerving red colour.

When Lee finally released himself from his stance he observed the surroundings that appeared strangely calm. Gai's miniature clone could not help but admire his handiwork, everything more or less in front of him was devastated. The ground was upturned all the way to the tree line and the grass floated gently back to the ground.

"Whoo!" Lee cheered, shooting his arms up into the air, savouring his victory. His smirk was slightly down trodden when he felt the pain shoot up his spine. Nonetheless it felt really good testing his technique for the first time in the field, and a successful test too boot.

"Lee...w-what the hell was that?" Lee spun around to see a flabbergasted Neji. It was almost comedic watching the normally stoic face of the Hyuga branch family member be rendered slack-jawed.

"A new technique that I have been working on." Lee grinned. "I have yet to open _Kyōmon_ so I am as yet unable to perform Gai's _Hirudora_. So I developed _Jixyuuden Buru_ as a way to produce a similar effect of an ultra-powerful taijutsu move. It is not as powerful but still does the trick. I have been developing it for the past few months."

"By yourself?" Neji quickly regained his composure but his surprise was still evident in his voice.

"Well Gai gave me quite a few pointers." Lee nodded. "I had to train very hard in order to develop it."

Neji rolled his eyes as he moved back to his injured colleagues. "You and Gai-sensei are completely insane."

"Come on Neji." Lee caught up, limping slightly, placing an enthusiastic pat on his back. "You should train more with us often. I even have a green jumpsuit with your name on it."

Neji's eyes did not even glance back at him. "I would rather _die_."

Lee smirked. "Don't worry, it will be our little secret."

0o0o0o

"Gai-sensei! Did you see it?! It worked!" Lee enthusiasm, although lost on Neji, quickly infected Gai and Tenten.

"You were amazing Lee!" Tenten was busy treating with Gai's injury on his chest with the field kits. Their sensei was looking much better, and was far more alert.

"Now that is what I call the Springtime of Youth!" Gai preformed his nice guy posed. "All those months of training were well worth it."

"So it appears." Neji smirked. This brief banter however was short lived. "How are you feeling Gai-sensei?"

"Doing well." Gai pressed firmly against his chest. "Fortunately the field kit was enough to counter the infection from the claws." However, he gazed at his injured knuckles. "The bite marks however are not doing so well."

"Yeah..." Tenten's smile quickly lost its luster as she gazed at her own wound which was looked like it was deteriorating by the second.

"Give me a minute." Neji reached for her hand. "I can't heal it, but I am sure I can stop it from spreading."

He performed a few seals. "_Nimpo: Fūjikome no jutsu_." Black lines shot out of his fingers and carefully wrapped themselves around the infected parts of Tenten's hand in a tight lattice formation. The Hyuga preformed the same technique on his sensei's injured knuckle just to be sure. "That should stop the infection from spreading, but it won't help the areas which are already affected." Neji's face formed a serious frown. "Tenten, we have to head back to the village."

"No!" Tenten nearly jumped. "No, I'm fine. I'll be okay."

"Tenten, this is not ANBU." Gai sighed. "This is not a mission that requires us to keep going until we reach our goal or we die trying. You could lose your hand."

That made Tenten go quiet. She was a qualified weapons expert, her hands are her life. If she lost them, even if it was a few fingers, she would be subject to ANBU review. The ANBU do not let injuries slip past the radar, they would put her through a rigorous physical and psychological test and see if she was affected. If she was that little bit more slow...if she was that little bit insecure...

But the weapon master's thought turned to Sarura Bea who was lying in a broken state in some hospital bed. Wasting away as a mere shadow of her former self. And a little girl who could be suffering the same fate.

Tenten loved being in ANBU more than anything in the world, but you never get to be a hero. In fact you are the opposite. Despite the fact that what she did was in the benefit with Konoha, she did miss the times when she actually saved lives instead of just taking them.

It took less than a second for Tenten to decide.

She grabbed a field kit injection in her uninjured hand. With a quick antibiotic shot to her injured hand hoping it would slow down the infection. "Woah, wait a minute Tenten..." Lee was about to grab her hand to stop her but it was too late.

"We don't have time to waste." She stood up and quickly walked towards the woods, glancing back at her stunned teammates. "Well come on! Let's go! We have to save Run-san."

The team smiled warmly both in admiration and excitement and quickly set off behind her.

0o0o0o

Once again, the creature went up against an opponent that quite soundly and absolutely defeated it. An opponent that was absolutely sure they killed the creature.

But that never stayed the case for long.

The creature came back whether it wanted to or not. The creature occasionally found those that defeated it, other times it did not. This did not bother the creature, it never felt pride or a desire for vengeance; it did not even know what they meant. The creature was limited in terms of the emotional spectrum available to it.

It felt a few things; surprise, frustration, guilt and regret dominated it at every turn. The only variances to these primary emotions were very few and far between. It came across fear when its thoughts dwelt on the Red Eyes. Confusion when it started contemplating its existence, and had on the odd occasion when sitting in its home felt loneliness.

Not too long ago, for the first time in its existence the creature ran afoul of the powerful emotion known as hope. In particular, the hope of being free and to no longer feed off the people that unfortunately came across its path.

What the creature was currently experiencing was an irregular...annoyance. Annoyance at the situation if found itself in...again. There was little it could do in its present condition; all it could do was wait.

Disjointed, eviscerated and scattered across a wide field. Any other being, provided they survived and that was a stretch of the imagination, would say it would be absolutely excruciating...torture beyond reckoning. This also happened to be the case for the creature; it could sense its predicament, and it could feel everything from the occasional ache or cramp. It could feel parts of itself being slowly moved and shuffled by some unknown force. It could feel itself being put back together. It felt flesh and bone connecting with more flesh and bone.

The creature's consciousness slowly flickered in an out, getting bits and pieces of the hunters' conversation. That was until it heard a fragment of the conversation.

"-let's go! We have to find Run-sama-"

_Run-sama?_ The creature felt puzzlement. _Why does that name mean something? I don't know of anyone by that name...is it someone I...killed?_

Then it hit like a bolt of lightning. They weren't searching for the creature.

Run-sama.

The Girl.

They were going to take the Girl away.

No. The creature thrashed, they were going to take its hope away. Its hope for freedom. It could feel its flesh, its very bones surge with renewed power.

It felt its reformed hand and gave it a firm clench.

The creature felt an emotion that it could not immediately identify it was as if its mind was completely ablaze and alert.

It took less than a second to recognise it.

Rage.

0o0o0o

Hey Guys hope you enjoyed the chapter. I looked forward to this, and I always believed that Naruto's passing would force a lot of his close friends to improve to greater heights. Take care!

Review and PM as always.


	8. Chapter 8

Hi gang. Hope everyone is well. Here is the latest chapter.

Special thanks to my beta ABitterPill.

I hope you like it.

_**Chapter 8: It's him**_

"So you finally decided to hang out?" Ino chuckled as she took a seat on her blue sofa. "It feels like it's been years, Forehead-chan."

"You dragged me to your place Ino." Sakura huffed as she took a seat opposite her. Although the cruel nickname annoyed her so, the jounin long since gave up on the whole forehead/pig jibes. "Why do I get the sneaking suspicion our 'accidental' running into each other and this rather vacant house was arranged?"

Sakura glanced briefly around the spacious lounge of the Yamanaka main house. It was strangely absent of life. She had not been to this house for many years. A life dedicated to training and missions left little for socialising.

It was amazing how little everything changed. The long bookshelf covering the back end of the wall. A panoramic window overlooking the famous Yamanaka garden. The simple, yet incredibly comfortable blue sofas.

"Well...I am not naming names...but a certain blonde Hokage may or may not have told me you were in town." Ino's smile did not waver. "And I am not confessing...but said Hokage might have mentioned you were getting a few days off. Strangely enough, my parents had a last minute engagement with a couple of family friends. All very coincidental."

Sakura's frown became more pronounced. "Are you going to play this game? I am far too busy to deal with your childish antics."

"Busy? Really?" Ino's smile lessened but lost none of its mischievousness. "I might have been told, can't recall by whom though, that you have in fact have a week off. No work, no missions. So that 'I'm too busy excuse' is not going to work."

"You seem to have been informed of much." Sakura crossed her arms her posture slouched. "If you spent as much time training instead of gossiping, you might be at my level now."

"Ouch...a bit testy, today aren't we?" Ino's smile turned slightly sour. Inevitably, Sakura always became, to put it gently, cranky and surly. There was a more appropriate word, synonymous with a female dog, but Ino couldn't really complain; at least Sakura allowed herself to be dragged back to the Yamanaka household. "Well thankfully, I have a cure for that."

Sakura raised a brow as her blonde friend got up off the couch and walked to the long bookcase and reached into a small cupboard at the bottom. After a little bit of fiddling, Ino returned with rather large unlabelled bottle and two sake cups. The pink haired shinobi did not have to be a jounin to put two and two together.

"To say nothing of me, Ino." Sakura rolled her eyes. "But you are not old enough to drink alcohol, neither physically nor mentally."

"Oh quit acting so self righteous." Ino did her absolute best not to say something she might regret. "Remember when we were eleven, my parents went out for dinner and we tried some? That was _your_ idea."

"That was a long time ago." Sakura's cheeks took a slight tinge of red, but she quickly covered it up by pretending to remove a bang of her hair to the side. "Look Ino it is getting late. I have to go home."

"To what?" Ino's voice took on a more aggressive tone. "A lonely night of not talking to your parents, studying and eating basic nutrition packs?" Sakura felt a hand wrap around her wrist and Ino pulled her back to the sofa. "All of a sudden you're too good to hang with me? With your friends?"

"That's-" Before Sakura could answer a cup filled with clear liquid was placed roughly in her hands.

"One drink. That is all I ask." Ino quickly downed the contents of the glass and poured herself another. "I swear, dealing with you is exhausting. Being around you could drive anyone to drink."

"I'm not that bad..." The kunoichi muttered. Sakura held the cup in her hands and stared at the clear liquid. "I remember that although it was my idea, you got your first hangover, thus blowing what was otherwise going to be a perfect crime."

"Oops..." Ino laughed. "I remember that, though I'm surprised you do considering you were passed out after your third cup."

"Hard to forget considering you threw up all over the carpet." Sakura jibed.

Ino spurted her drink across the other side of the room. "You swore to me that you would never bring that up!"

"Hey you opened that door." Sakura lifted the cup to her lips and downed the contents. Although she tried to fight it, the alcohol went straight to her head. _Ugh, I should not have skipped breakfast this morning...or dinner the night before._

"Ha...still a lightweight. You and Lee have at least that in common." Ino smirked as she took another sip of sake. "Speaking of which-"

"No." Sakura groaned.

"But-"

"_No_." Sakura's tone left no room for doubt. "You are not setting me up with Lee, or indeed, anyone else. That last time was bad enough."

"Oh come on!" Ino chuckled.

0o0o0o

"Did you find the trail?" Lee called out.

"Why do you think I am running this way?" Neji quipped.

"The reports said he was a bit further out, closer to the Iwa border." Tenten thought out loud. "Yet his home is here, so close to a mountain base."

"It seems he had a rather wide territory in which to hunt." Gai concluded. "He is close to farmyard, residential and even main road access. The perfect hunting ground. How far are we?"

"Not that far." Neji's eyes narrowed. "Check it out."

"Check what out?" Lee's question was immediately answered when they ran into a large clearing. Clearing was not exactly the right word, it was an area filled with dead trees. The forest normally filled with dense shrubbery, flora and fauna was largely absent. All the trees were dull grey our faded brown. Any foliage or leaves were largely absent from the ground, meaning nothing had grown there for a long time. Not a single natural sound was heard. There seemed to be no life in the area. Lee could not deny that it gave him the creeps, it reminded him of a haunted forest.

"I think we are getting close to where he lives." Tenten's sarcasm was obvious.

"Indeed." Neji scanned the surroundings. "This clearing measures roughly twenty meters in diameter. At the centre appears to be...a cave."

Lee tensed up. "Its home..."

"Yeah." Gai nodded. "It may be disgusting but we have to save Run-san. Tread carefully though."

"Okay." Neji took a step. "I'll take point." They walked forward and found the entrance to the cave, which was surprisingly large, it looked closer to a big hole in the ground, almost like it was dug out. The entrance was narrow and a bit cramped, the walls were slick and wet as they went deeper into total darkness. After about fifteen meters of total darkness the small tunnel surprisingly opened up. The entire place was dimly if not barely lit due to a hole in the cave ceiling which looked almost like a partial cave in.

"Yeesh, the stench is revolting." Tenten wrinkled her nose. The smell of excrement and rot clogged her nostrils.

"...is...someone there...?" All three turned to the source of the voice. In the shadows in one corner of the room they could make out the figure of a small child. They collectively sighed in both surprise and relief.

_Run..._

"Run-sama!" Tenten ran up and tried to help the girl, but she instantly screamed and flailed about in terror. "It's alright! It's alright! I'm not your kidnapper. See?" Tenten removed her headband and handed it to the girl to inspect.

Run stared at it carefully before a visible change in body postured. "Oh...thank Kami..." She sobbed. Tenten's face turned pale when she saw her leg, the fact that it was broken did not faze her, it was that there was a leg brace around it. Only the brace was made out of bone and wire. "What the-?"

"...is that...bone?" Gai's eyes scrunched up in disgust. "It looks like he was trying to help her."

"It was not very effective. It obviously did not know anything about medicine." Tenten carefully inspected her charge, she looked so bony and malnourished, like she would pass out any second. Run had been starving for a week by the looks of things. "Here," the weapons ninja pulled out a small bar of nutrient chocolate and handed it to the girl, "eat thi-" Tenten had a surprised look on her face as the girl devoured the whole bar in less than a second, putting Chouji to shame. "Woah."

"I haven't eaten anything for I don't know how long." Run sighed happily. Her face quickly contorted into panic. "We have to get out of here! It will come back soon! He'll-"

"Relax, Run-sama." Tenten smiled. "We took care of him." Before the girl could reply she was cut off by Lee.

"Hey guys check this out." Tenten initially was going to leave but the girl clung to her pant leg for dear life.

"Please don't leave me." She pleaded. Tenten bent back down and sat beside her.

"I'm not going anywhere." Tenten sighed and pulled out another chocolate bar. "Here have another bar."

Lee gestured for Neji to come over. "You won't believe this." Neji took a deep breath when he saw what his colleague gestured towards; it looked like a table with a chair. Only both were not made of what one would expect. While the seat and the table top were made out of wood and a metal sheet respectively, legs were made out of bone. Human bone. They were connected by fence wiring, duct tape and glue.

"Why would anyone do something like this?" Lee inspected the chair carefully. "The bones are not from the same body, they are different ages. He's replacing them." Lee looked on the table and saw a basic dictionary and what looked like a series of crayons and pencils on top of some scrap paper.

"I see a bag." Neji walked further into the cave and picked up a brown sack. "I can see sewing kits, duct tape, glue and some old clothes." The Hyuuga could smell the musty scent with a hint of blood, both fresh and old. He rolled his eyes in both frustration and disgust only to gaze at the ceiling. "Well I think I know what he does when he is not hunting."

"What do you mean?" Lee's question was answered with Neji's finger pointing to the ceiling. Sheets of paper, hundreds of them all pinned to the ceiling with needles and who knows what else.

Pictures.

Drawings.

"What..." Gazing at the art in the dark cave Lee felt...different. It was looking through the eyes of someone else. Cheerful smiles, standalone drawings of regular day items, group photos.

The problem was that they all looked so familiar. Neji gazed at a picture of a smiling girl with bright green eyes and pink hair. "Lee does that look like..."

"Sakura?" Lee puzzled. "Sort of. Possibly."

Gazing at these pictures, they began to see more and more familiarity. They were not exact portraits but the resemblance was disturbing and uncanny. There was not only pictures of Sakura, there was Team Asuma, Team Kurenai, Kakashi, Team Gai themselves and numerous other people, all when they were younger.

"What the hell is going on here?" Neji's neutral tone betrayed the barest hint of concern.

"It stares at them." The girl spoke quietly. "It stares at them when it is not moving around."

"Did it draw them?"

"Yes." She muttered as she devoured another chocolate bar. "It does it spontaneously."

"Hey check this out." Lee knelt down in front of a chest next to the bag, Neji standing behind it. Lee pulled open the chest and peered inside.

Neji sensed Lee's tension go through the roof. "Something wrong Lee?" Lee quickly reached inside and yanked linen and held it into the light.

"You have to be kidding..." Neji stared unblinking at the object in Lee's hands. Right there plain as day was an extremely faded orange jumpsuit with blue lining. The white collar was almost black and grey but the original colour was obvious. It was held together by stitches and tape on the inside of the jumpsuit. The care and detail put into it, one could have mistaken it for a sacred object.

"Impossible." Gai stared in complete surprise.

Lee whose hands were shaking from both shock and excitement accidentally dislodged something from within the clothes. It made a loud 'ping' sound, as it hit the floor. Neji, his curiosity overwhelming bent down to pick it up. It was a forehead protector with the symbol of Konoha on it.

Neji turned the protector over, he could hear Lee's breath as he peered over his shoulder.

_012607_

"Naruto." Neji licked dry lips. "This is Naruto's serial ID." Tenten and Gai looked at each other their faces neutral but their eyes expressed their complete confusion. "How did Naruto's clothes end up here?"

"You think Naruto was one this thing's earlier victims?" Neji gripped the clothes tightly in his hands, feeling the cloth stretch.

"I don't know." Lee said, but the anger in his voice made him reach the very same conclusion. They never gave up on finding Naruto. Lee in particular kept a basic dossier on the blonde in his backpack just in case.

"I am going to keep looking." Neji muttered.

"No you are not." Gai ordered. "We are going to take the girl back home. After that you can look through this cave to your heart's content."

"But Gai-sensei."

"Lee...Neji... you are a ninja." Gai's glare penetrated the younger man's gaze. "You are a jounin of Konoha. Act like it." Lee blinked and slowly nodded in compliance. He took the precious clothes, the only clues to Naruto's fate and carefully folded them into his backpack. This was _not_ over.

The girl began to wail and sob uncontrollably. "It's okay Run-sama. We're going to take you home." Tenten smiled reassuringly. "Don't be upset."

"It's too late...it's too late..."

"Why?" Tenten tried to calm her. "What is too late?"

"He's behind you." Run whispered.

0o0o0o

"What about that nice guy I introduced you to early last year?" Ino smiled. They had finished their first bottle of sake and opened up another almost immediately. It was fun exploring the past. It took half a bottle before Sakura managed to become something resembling a regular teenager.

"Sure he was cute." Sakura blushed, a small smile on her face. "But in the end all he wanted to do was get in my pants."

"And that's a bad thing?"

"Not everyone is as easy as you Ino."

"Hey! That's not fair!" Ino's offended look actually made Sakura flinch. "Flirting and sleeping around are two different things!"

Sakura looked at Ino carefully before continuing. "Wait...you mean..."

"Yep, same boat as you. Never gone that far." Ino downed another cup of sake. "I enjoy the flirtation, a bit of fun, but that's it. I don't string them along and I don't sleep around. Never have, never will."

Sakura shifted her cup between one hand and another. "I didn't know." Ino glared at Sakura with accusation in her eyes.

"If you bothered to hang out once in a while, you would." Ino huffed. The frown that Sakura had on her face indicated that Ino's jibe had affected her, which is what the blonde was hoping for. "I admit I was considering moving onto the next stage, but problem with being Yamanaka is that our minds quickly and easily synchronise with each other. It's a very big problem as everyone knows your business. After my first kiss, my father found out. Needless to say he was a little angry."

"Ha!" Sakura laughed. "Yeah that sounds like him. My father was initially apprehensive, recently though he is a bit tamer about the whole thing."

"Because he knows you are not interested in dating or a relationship." Ino grunted. "Besides I think your father is worried about things other than your virginity."

"Really?" Sakura groaned. "I'm assuming this is some kind of intervention on their part?"

"No..." Ino pursed her lips. "I'm just worried about you. We all are. You have not been the same since...well..."

Sakura's green eyes turned decidedly cold, her body tensed in resistance. "Naruto's death."

"...yeah." Ino's eyes softened. "Look I understand it upsets you. He was a nice guy, I liked him too-"

"Oh that is just _bullshit_!" Sakura crushed the ceramic cup in her hands. She stood up from the couch and lifted Ino by the scruff of her collar. "You thought nothing of him! You found him to be a nuisance. A _failure_!"

"Woah wait a minute-" Ino stated in blatant horror, wondering if Sakura was about use that famed strength on her.

"Shut up! None of you thought anything of him!" Sakura's eyes bored into her friends, the fists tightening around Ino's purple shirt. "I know because _I_ felt the exact same way about him. We all considered him a nuisance. You thought of him as an idiot. I thought of him as something that got between me and _Sasuke_." She spoke the Uchiha's name with so much venom it made Ino flinch. "Only after Naruto promised on his _life_ that he would bring Sasuke back, did I see who he was all along. He genuinely cared about us, about _me_… You know he had a crush on _me_? Me of all people? I thought nothing of it at first but it became very obvious later. Hindsight does not help." For the briefest moment the pink haired jounin dropped her composure and Ino saw the girl she was friends with. "And what did I do to the boy who had a crush on me? I sent him to his death, to bring back the so-called love of my life."

"That was not your fault..."

"Sasuke murdered Naruto all for the sake of vengeance. He abandoned all of us and killed his only real friend." Sakura's eyes hardened, and when she spoke it was more to herself than Ino. "There must be an accounting."

"..." Ino was still stunned by Sakura's outburst, strangely enough it sounded more like a confession.

Sakura blinked several times, seemingly coming to her senses. She gently let go of Ino's collar, smoothing it out gently before stepping back. "I better go. Thanks for the sake, and I am sorry for breaking your cup." Sakura quickly moved to the main entrance of the house, her hand resting on the handle. It was only then that Ino spoke up.

"You know this hatred of Sasuke that is driving you forward is also slowly consuming you." Ino glanced at Sakura. "Have you noticed how much you have become almost like him? Aloof, isolated and dare I say, a little arrogant."

"You sound like Tsunade-sama." Sakura coughed.

"Your hatred for him will get you killed or worse, you will become him." Ino continued. "None of us want that to happen to you Sakura, especially me."

After what seemed to be an eternity of silence, when Sakura finally spoke. "You don't get it, do you? None of you get it." Her voice although coherent, was on the verge of sobbing. "I don't hate Sasuke." As Sakura turned to stare at her friend, the Yamanaka could have sworn there were tears in her eyes. "I hate _myself_."

"Sakura..."

"Good bye Ino." Sakura opened the door to the main house and closed it without making a sound, leaving Ino wondering.

0o0o0o

All four stood so quietly that they could hear their own heartbeats in the silence. Rock Lee dared to be the first to look and peered over his shoulder. "….oh no."

A combination of fear and training they spun around to stare at the creature. It stood at the opening of the cave, its figure casting an eerie silhouette. Without the tarp that enshrouded they could more clearly see its outline.

"Impossible…no one could survive…that…"

It was stick-like, skeletal. The skin acting as little more than window dressing, like spider webs covering a tree branch. Its left arm was severed at the shoulder, the right arm held the severed limb in its limp hands. Its clothes hung loosely on its grey coloured body, held together by nothing more than gravity and seams. Its jaw was hanging loosely to one side, obviously broken. Even though its face was obscured by the sun and shadow, no one in the team had to guess who it was staring at.

"Guys get her out of here." Rock Lee slowly detached himself from formation, moving away from his allies and the injured girl. The creature's head swivelled and titled tracking Lee with every step. "I'll take care of this."

Their attacker stood still, blocking their only exit to this hellish place. With its posture, its silence and its severed arm being trapped in its own vice like grip, Gai had a distinct feeling the creature was not going to the let them leave, alive or dead.

"No time for heroics." Gai said, with drawing a pair of nunchaku from his backpack. "You won't last long against it in your state."

The creature darted forward zigzagging in multiple directions at amazing speed which made the job of hitting it more difficult for Tenten. Once he was in front of Lee, it gave a rather painful kick to the side of his ribs sending him hurtling to the far end of the cave. Instead of hitting the wall Lee suddenly dropped and landed on something soft and wet.

"What the…oh kami…"

0o0o0o

After sending Lee careening into the darkness the creature rounded on the remaining three, heading straight for Tenten. However, Gai lodged himself in between the creature and his target releasing a fury of blows with his nunchaku throwing the creature's head around with dull thumps and cracks.

That was of course until the creature used his own severed arm as a weapon and clubbed Gai right over the head. The creature attempted to move past a dazed Gai who, with a free hand, grabbed the creature by the hair. Rather than turn to face the jounin, it tried to move forward without a care in the world. After what seemed to be a tug of war, the creature moved forward again with a sickening rip of skin and flesh and Gai holding onto the remnants of his opponent's hair and scalp in his grip.

Gai was stunned by the lack of self-preservation but only briefly, as their opponent advanced forward the jounin delivered several shots and kicks at the its head and body. The creature groaned and growled, but did little more that flail his severed limb like he was trying to swat away an annoying fly. The jounin ducked under a wild haymaker and saw an opportunity.

"Konoha Tsumuji Sumu!" Gai launched a roundhouse kick directly at his opponents wrist. The result was the creature ending up with a broken wrist and its severed arm falling to the floor in a heap. Like everything that had happened to it, the shadowy creature did not take notice.

What the creature did do after snapping its wrist back into place with a revolting crack was grab the jounin by the scruff of his tunic and deliver a head-butt.

And another…

And another…

And another.

Gai fell to his knees, his head bloody, his nose broken, and eyes slightly glazed over. The creature would have taken a bite out of him, but a broken jaw that was still mending left little in terms of the ability to chew. Besides it had more pressing matters to focus on; such as the Kunai Lady who was throwing lots of sharp objects at it.

Then it saw the Pale Strange Eyes standing next to the Kunai Lady; the Girl in his arms.

_No…_The creature, one armed or not rounded on them preparing to turn them into pulp, the rage that surged through its dead stagnant veins propelling it forward directly for their throats.

Tenten running out of options, decided to pull out the only thing that could probably work. Tenten wrapped her fingers around the bakuton scroll ready to smack the bastard over the head with it.

"Don't use it here!" Neji held the girl who began scream as the creature approached. "The explosion will kills us all."

"Then lure it outside!" Tenten turned to Neji who shook his head.

"It's blocking the entrance." Neji backed further against the cave wall, the girl desperately trying to crawl out of his embrace.

"What the hell do you want me to do?!" Tenten yelled as she started backing away from the advancing creature. "Nothing is working!"

"Guys!" They heard Lee call out. "Get down here!"

Neji's eyes narrowed and nodded. "There is a cavern there. It should protect us from the explosion."

The creature lunged, but Tenten saw it first and threw several kunai directly at their opponent's chest. Neji used a quick side step and bypassed the creature who was preoccupied with taking a chunk out of Tenten's throat. "Tenten! Blow the damn thing and get down here!"

"Easier said than done!" A vice like grip clamped down on her throat, she could smell decay coming from the shadow figure. "Ack!...Neji….help…!"

"Oh shit. Sorry Run-sama, but I have to take care of this. Lee; catch!" The Hyuuga dropped the squealing girl down the dark cavern.

"Got her!" Lee's voice echoed off the cave walls.

Neji immediately turned around and performed a flying roundhouse directly to the temple of their opponent. It was neither graceful nor spectacular, but it worked. The creature, briefly stunned, loosened its grip, which was all Tenten needed.

Pulling one of her last kunai out she passed it quickly through the gaps in her attackers bony decayed fingers, and promptly cut its pinky and ring fingers off in one stroke. The creature grunted which considering all the damage it had taken, seemed to give the young weapons master some satisfaction. Neji quickly performed another roundhouse kick which brought their shadowed attacker to the ground with a dull thump.

"Let's go!" Neji quickly pulled a wounded Gai over his shoulder and threw both himself and his sensei down into the void.

"Hey! Asshole!" The creature slowly got up using his limp arm as a crutch. Tenten smiled as she held the bakuton scroll in her hand. "Kodo says hi!" And with all her strength she hurled the scroll at their attacker and jumped down the small cavern. As expected, the scroll hit its target, red dot first.

Kaboom.

0o0o0o

"Ugh my head…." When Tenten awoke, the first thought she had was that she had landed on a pile of garbage. "What is that smell?"

"Take it easy." She heard Neji's voice in the dark. "You had a nasty fall."

"What happened?" Tenten's eyes finally adjusted in the dark and saw Neji and indeed all of her teammates alive and well. Lee seemed content holding onto the little girl, Run, who was still unconscious. Gai on the other hand was gently rubbing his head. Neji seemed okay, if completely exhausted.

"The scroll detonated, and although you were not in the blast zone you were definitely hit by the shockwave. Generally explosions and caves don't go well together."

"Or they get along perfectly. Besides it was your idea."

"It seems what you call humour is still intact." Neji scoffed. "Besides, it was more Lee's than my own. I would never have chosen this place."

"Why what's wrong with…" Tenten felt something against her fingers, it felt like bone. She looked down and her eyes lit up in horror. "Oh…" Her eyes, despite the protest of her mind which new better, she slowly looked around, her skin becoming more and more pale, and her stomach becoming more and more nauseous. "Oh…_shit_."

There were bodies.

Lots of bodies.

Most still had globs of flesh and internal organs. Each one going through various stages of decay, some looked freshly killed, others were so old they looked almost mummified. Tenten tried to count them all, but she gave up past_ sixty_.

"There is a lot more than fifty people." Tenten gasped. "I'm glad Run is not awake to see this."

"I think she did." Neji glanced at their gruesome surroundings. "I think this why she has passed out."

"Dammit…" Tenten cursed, it was wrong for someone so young to see something so…twisted. "It looks like when it was…done with them, it tossed them down here."

"A garbage bin." Lee spat with disgust.

"Whatever it is, there are more than just farmers here." Neji pointed out to several corpses which, as far as the rest of them were concerned, were indistinguishable from one another. "I see at least dozen people wearing shinobi gear, most likely from Iwa and Kumo, though I would not rule out Suna. Their equipment looks new, like they never had the opportunity to use them."

Upon closer inspection of the bodies, most of the corpses were eviscerated, their insides hollow. Their faces were contorted into pain and horror while some had no face at all only a blood stained skull. Some had their necks snapped in half and ripped off like cattle at a slaughterhouse. Half eaten parts of muscle, kidney and skin decorated the surface of the dead. Tenten dared to guess that the wet feeling in her hands was certainly not due to water. The very thought made her shiver, and her desire to get out of this place increased tenfold.

"I would _really _like to leave now." Tenten looked back up to the cave ceiling.

"We all would." Gai nodded, his voice stuffy. "Right now there seems to be a cave in. We will have to punch our way through."

"Then do it." Tenten nodded in approval.

"Hang on, there is a catch or two." Neji said.

"Oh come one Neji, we are neck deep in dead people, we can give the analytical thing a rest." Tenten groaned.

Neji rolled his eyes and continued. "The first is we could risk another cave in. The second is if we do this now, Gai and Lee will be incapable of fighting for a significant amount of time."

"Our youth will see us through!" Lee smiled. "We can hold out. Why is this relevant?"

"That leads to my third point." Neji's eyes hardened. "What if that thing is still alive?"

Lee and Tenten paled, while Gai frowned at the thought. It was true if they did this and it was still up there, then it would be up to Tenten and Neji to hold it off. Even with their combined efforts they could not defeat it, at most they could slow it down. Probably.

"That is impossible." Tenten's tone indicated like she was trying to convince herself instead of her colleagues. "I hit that thing point blank in the face with a friggin bakuton scroll!"

"It took Lee's technique and it survived that." Neji pointed out glumly.

"Good points Neji." Gai smiled taking them off guard. "However it is worth the risk. We spent a while tracking this cave, while our opponent knew where it was. This means, taking into account movement and distance, it takes time to recover after taking significant injury. Assuming it is not injured and is still mobile; would you rather engage it in the open or down here in the dark with nowhere to run?"

The answer was so obvious his students did not even bother to respond.

"Finally, we are surrounded by decay. I would rather have fresh air in my lungs. It makes it easier to channel my Springtime of Youth." Gai pumped his chest in pride.

"Of course, Gai-sensei!" Lee jeered.

"Ugh…" Neji placed a hand over his head. "At least they're still normal."

Tenten smiled at their optimism. "Can we do it soon? I really don't want Run to wake up in this place."

0o0o0o

The blast not only brought the cave to collapse, but it frightened every living creature in five kilometre radius. For ten whole minutes, there was nothing but silence in the forest.

Until two similarly garbed ninja burst through the ground like a geyser.

"_Konoha Kaigansho!_" Lee and Gai simultaneously cried out. They soared into the air still recovering from the momentum and landed as gracefully as they could. They channelled a majority of their remaining chakra into their strikes, they were all but spent. Neji and Tenten leapt out of the 'pit of death' with Run draped over Neji's shoulder.

Unfortunately now that they were in the light, they could see their clothes caked with all shades of red. Lee observing his colleagues and sensei with blood on their hands, clothes, face and feet was enough to make him hurl where stood.

"Geez, Lee." Tenten averted her eyes. "At least go into the bushes or something."

"Sorry Tenten." Lee groaned.

"Well, we're alive, and in the open." Gai smiled, though it was not as pronounced, having your favourite green tunic completely covered in blood will do that. "And that thing is not here."

"I suggest we leave before it gets back up." Neji's eyes scanned their surroundings with the byakugan. "None of us are in a condition to fight."

"Yeah, let's-" Tenten's eyes widened and looked straight down. She let out an ear piercing shriek.

It was a hand.

A hand that was latched onto her leg, decayed flesh and coagulated blood dangled loosely around its severed wrist.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me!" Neji bent down ignoring Tenten's frantic pleas to get it off. But it had a vice like grip, and it was not letting go. Neji picked up the last of his kunai from his backpack and quickly severed the thumb. The hand fell to the ground but refused to die, it lay there, its fingers twitching, trying to grab anything it could. They felt the earth tremble slightly and saw the entrance of the cave, the one that was engulfed under several tonnes of rocks reluctantly fall away.

A deformed white broken 'hand' peeked out of the whole and it slowly pulled itself out. Attached to it was a broken arm, a broken shoulder and finally a head with a fractured skull with a torso severed just below the ribcage.

A small groan escaped its lips as it dragged itself out of the rubble, its entrails followed loosely behind it.

It was still alive.

However, the team realised that 'alive' was being redefined on a moment to moment basis.

"This is the biggest load of bullshit I have ever seen in my entire life." Tenten was both horrified yet at the same time in awe. The creature was much smaller than she thought, it was a little bit shorter than her, it had dirty blonde hair completely caked in blood and its clothes were indescribably maroon.

"This is the biggest load of bullshit you have seen _so far_." Gai corrected as he observed their determined opponent slowly make its way to them. "At least it's not going anywhere for a while."

"I don't believe this..." Neji sighed, although the terror he felt dissipated as quickly as it came. They could easily outpace it just by walking, still it did not sit well with him to have even half this thing trailing behind him.

Lee moved past the wounded creature and picked up a sizable piece of cave rock, almost twice its size. Lee was grossly tired judging from the way he was panting as he walked over to their attacker. With little care or apathy he promptly dropped it on the creature with a sickening crunch. The creature grunted, its face planted into the earth, its arm still attempting to pull itself closer to them, but it was futile.

"He's not going anywhere." Lee concluded with a tired smile. "I think Ishigakure can solve this problem."

"Well done, Lee!" Gai smirked. "Let's get going."

As they all turned, Tenten lingered her eyes a moment longer. "Got ya, you son of a bitch." The creature must have heard it, because its head shot up out of the ground and stared at straight at her.

With its eyes.

Its sky blue eyes.

"….wait…" She saw the eyes, the skin, the bloody blonde hair. "…impossible…"

0o0o0o

"…you don't think….it could….no…." Tenten stared at the creature and glanced briefly to Neji who had a similarly dumbfounded look on his face. Any other time and it would have been a photo opportunity. Now was not the time though.

"Maybe…." Was all Neji could mumble as it stared at the creature that was lazily trying to claw at their feet. Team Gai stared at the creature and the creature stared back at Team Gai, its face blank, its lower jaw broken and stripped of all flesh. However, the upper part of its head was relatively intact. It was decayed, mottled and downright unpleasant to look at, but the appearance was unmistakable.

"N…N-Naruto?..." Lee stuttered, he bent down, trying to touch it, but Gai pulled him back.

"Don't even think about it." Gai sniffed the air. "It may be weak, but it is still attempting to draw in chakra and it can still bite. We cannot afford another injury."

"B-but Gai-sensei, it's Naruto." Lee gestured the creature that he pinned with a massive rock.

"I will not deny there are similarities, but I make no assumptions." Gai said sternly gazing unsympathetically at their attacker. The only sound that was made was the scratching of soil underneath the creature fingernails at it continued to pull itself out from under the boulder without much success.

"We have to find out." Lee said finally.

"We don't have time for this." Tenten said. Lee shot her a betrayed look which made Tenten feel very low. "Don't look at me like that Lee!"

Neji took the opportunity to speak up. "I am in agreement with Lee here."

"What are your reasons?" Gai raised a brow.

"…I have none." Neji finally admitted. "But I need to know. _We_ need to know."

Lee shot a pleading look to Gai. It has been many years since the young man was under his old sensei's guidance, apart from training, but even now he still needs Gai's blessing.

"You're both jounin. I can't tell you what to do." Gai looked them up and down and sighed. "But know this, if you get yourself hurt, I will not forgive either of you. Tenten and I will head back to the village, I will return soon after."

"Understood." Neji and Lee said simultaneously.

Gai gestured to Tenten and they walked back to the village, the sound of groaning in the background.

"Sensei, are you seriously going to leave them behind?" Tenten readjusted her grip on the young charge that was draped on her shoulders. "This is ridiculous."

"No it is not Tenten." Gai shook his head. "It makes a lot of sense, and that is what worries me."

"How?"

"They were part of the original team that attempted to bring back Uchiha Sasuke." Gai noted. "There was a special bond with Naruto, brothers-in-arms so to speak. When he vanished it hit all of us hard, but it affected them the most."

"So they need to know if it is him?"

"Yes." Gai scratched the back of his head. "If I was in their position I would do the same thing."

"…do you think…?" Tenten turned back to the clearing as she saw Lee and Neji making some preparations. "Could it be him?"

"I hope to kami, no." Gai frowned, anticipating Tenten's question he continued. "If it is Naruto, then he has killed more than sixty people over two and half years. He ate them, killed them and then dumped them in a pit as if they were garbage. He has become something else, and the problem is, I don't know what."

0o0o0o

"Alright, that's the last one." Neji grunted as he heaved another boulder onto the creature's arm, pinning the creature to the ground. The creature had several large stones from shoulder to wrist, one large flat piece of bedrock on its torso and large stone shoved into his mouth. The threat was neutralised, at least for now. "How do you want to do this Lee?"

Lee nodded and pulled out a small manila folder from his backpack. Neji raised a brow. "What's that?"

"Naruto's file." Lee opened it and scanned its content. "I kept a copy just in case."

"Smart…" Neji smirked. "So where do we start?"

"Height is 145.3 centimetres."

"When we last engaged him he was about that, then again I don't focus on height." Neji looked down at the broken body. "Using extrapolations, I would say he was about 146cm."

"Weight was 40.1 kilos."

"Forget it, this body has been through so much decay it would be impossible to tell." Neji sighed.

"Don't talk to him like that." Lee grunted.

"What?"

"Don't talk about Naruto like that."

"Lee I never said I thought this was Naruto." Neji's eyes narrowed. "I did this because there were similarities, no more, no less. Do I need to remind you this thing tried to kill us?"

"…." Lee's silence was enough that Neji continued.

"What are his distinguishing marks?"

Lee nodded and listed out the facts in the file. "Blonde hair."

"Check."

"Blue eyes."

"Check."

"Three whisker marks on each cheek." Lee noticed Neji bend down and try and readjust the angle of their opponents head. "Be careful."

"I'm always careful." Neji quipped as he glanced at the creature's half mottled cheeks. "Look I can see two, possibly three, markings on his cheeks, but I would call them scars. They are severely damaged and are indistinguishable due to his damaged jaw."

"So?" Lee looked up from the file. "Yes or no? Your call."

"….."

"Neji?"

"I'll say yes." Neji grunted as he stood up. "Anything else?"

"His ninja registration number is 012607 and he was last seen wearing an orange tracksuit with blue lining on the upper shoulders, a white swirl with a tassel on the left side, a red swirl on the back, a large white collar, orange pants, blue sandals and blue forehead protector. There is one note of having a tome on the palm of his right hand." Lee looked up from the folder. "That's it."

Neji reached for Lee's backpack and pulled out the delicate material; the clothes that were found that dark cave. "It looks to be the rights size," Neji commented, "and the headband speaks for itself."

Only after he held the orange jumpsuit for careful inspection did creature break eye contact away from them. It stared longingly at the orange jumpsuit and the Konoha headband; its most precious treasure. Cold defiance swelled in its eyes and made a renewed effort to get its teeth into their necks. Its struggles were having greater effect, the stone that pinned it was starting to dislodge. It was getting stronger and its persistence was going to pay off soon.

Neji eyed the creature warily. "We better make this quick."

"I know." Lee gulped as he pressed himself against the boulder, holding the creature down.

"Lee..." Neji nudged the stunned green clad jounin. "What hand was marked with a tome?"

"T-the right." Lee muttered through clenched teeth. Despite the creature being severed in half, it was starting to put up a fight.

"Give me the kunai" Neji hurried around the boulder that were pinning the creatures arm. Its right arm.

Neji grabbed the remaining three fingers which were doing their best to try and scratch him and turned it over.

There, amongst the dead rotten flesh, the tendons and the veins stood an untouched piece of skin on its palm.

There was a black tome.

"Black tome on right hand…check." Neji stood up in surprised.

Lee finally took his eyes away from the forehead protector and after a brief look at the creature, their long lost ally, he turned to Neji. "Geez, Neji…it's Naruto…it's really him!"

Neji, who was having a very difficult time trying to come up with a response or at least an expression for what he was feeling, could only think of one thing to say.

"Now what?"

0o0o0o

"I'm coming, I'm coming." Kayuri sighed as he walked over to the door. The knocking was frantic and repetitive and was becoming very annoying. "Now what the hel –Holy Shit."

Kayuri did not really know how to comprehend what he saw. It was the people that he saw earlier this morning. Well two of them anyway. Both were covered head to toe in blood.

"We need a horse and a carriage." Lee spoke with a tired yet determined voice. "Now."

0o0o0o

A/N – Hope you enjoyed fellas. Review and PM as always.


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